The Sonic Project
by SconnieSA
Summary: Everything that Blue the Hedgehog has known has been a lie. When he is shown what the "Sonic Program" truly is and witnesses his brother's death, he blames the man who's made him into a weapon and vows on his dead family's graves that he will stop the doctor's plans and get his revenge. He no longer calls himself "Blue." He is Sonic the Hedgehog. (UNDER EDITING)
1. Footsteps

**CHAPTER I – FOOTSTEPS**

 **MONDAY, JULY 1** **ST** **, 1991**

"Is it here yet?"

Her blue-furred husband was camped out near the window, anxiously waiting. They couldn't wait for much longer. Who knew when or if they would come tonight? They didn't want to wait and find out. They had too much to lose, and that terrified them.

Thankfully, salvation seemed to arrive as a van's lights rolled into the driveway.

"Bernie, it's here. ( _ **Jules the Hedgehog: Chris Pratt**_ )" He looked back to his lavender wife. "Get the luggage out here. We need to be quick." She nodded and ran into the bedroom. The doorbell rang, and he quickly answered it. "Thanks for coming so quickly."

"You guys must have one hell of an early flight," the rhino said entering the house.

"And we have to make it there as soon as possible." Just then, Bernie came out with the first few bags. "Alright, start loading."

"Slow down there, Mr. Hedgehog. We need to take our time with this—."

"WHAAAAAAA!" The rhino stopped dead in his tracks and looked at the father. They shared deeply concerned looks. With what was happening in the city over the last six weeks, it all made sense why they needed to get out of town pronto.

"You mean—?"

"Yes, that's why. Now stop jawing and start packing, Marty."

"You got it," he said.

As Marty picked up the first few bags, Bernie came out with the others. "That's all of them. Now we can grab Eli and David. ( _ **Bernadette the Hedgehog: Cobie Smulders**_ )"

"Alright." Jules reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small booklet which he offered to his wife. Upon taking it, she opened it up and saw her new passports and credentials. "If anyone asks, your name is now Aleena Sonia Hedgehog. And I'm—."

POP! POP! CRASH!

The sudden sound of shattering glass and destroyed metal froze them. It sounded like it came from outside. Soon after, a body was thrown through the window, letting the heavy storm outside rage into the large, luxurious living room.

There laid Marty… with one bullet in his stomach and another through his skull.

They were too late.

They were here!

"Bernie! Protect the kids!" She did not argue as she ran for the nursery. Jules pulled out a concealed 9mm handgun and readied it. There was nothing at first as the tension and silence frightened the man. Then something large and heavy barreled in before he could get a round off.

WHAM!

Jules was thrown across the room into a filled bookcase, getting conked n the head by Jules Verne. He gathered himself and picked up the sidearm he'd dropped upon contact. But when he looked up, he was startled beyond all comprehension. A massive robot twice the size of him was running at him at full tilt. Jules dove out of the way of the raging android, and the automaton ran right through the bookcase and through the wall back into the storm.

"Take this!" Jules barked as he opened fire on the robot, aiming for its eyes. The automaton was hurt and made a step towards the gunman, but eventually fell down and lost all power when enough bullets riddled his chassis. Just then, another droid came down right in front of its fallen clone and lunged at the man. Jules dodged again, but he heard another robot come in through the broken window.

He took aim again, but he was in disbelief when all he heard was repeated clicking. "Aw, crap," he said as he was struck and thrown into the front door. The robots began marching down the far hall with purpose. He couldn't just lay there. He had to protect his family, no matter the cost.

Jules dropped his empty magazine, put a new one in, and shot off a round at one of them. They both turned around. "Over here, you walking pieces of scrap!" One robot ran further into the hall while the other charged at him. Jules ran at the stampeding droid and purposely slid underneath it. He quickly got up and began firing at the other one. After a few hits, it went down, but Jules was out of ammo again. These mechanized nightmares could take a beating and eat bullets, that was for sure.

He quickly ran into the nursery where Bernie was trying to console the crying twins. "Are you alright?!" she asked frantically.

"For the moment," he responded. "I'm out of bullets. Throw me your gun." She un-holstered hers and threw it to Jules along with another clip.

After cocking it, he heard a loud running sound. The droid from before was coming at Jules again and the hedgehog pumped it full of lead. Soon enough it went down, but a loud CRASH came from the living room again as more robots invaded the house.

But these were different, and much to Jules' horror, one of them peered into the hallway, shot out its arm, and grabbed him by his legs. The arm itself was built like a grapple and began to pull the hedgehog toward them.

"Jules!" Bernie screamed. Her husband grabbed onto the nursery's door frame and hung on for dear life as they tried to pull him in. "Hold on! I'll sa—!"

"No! Protect the boys!"

"Not happ—!"

"This isn't up for discussion!" he screamed as he struggled. His strength was dwindling, and he would undoubtedly lose his grip soon. "Protect them, whatever you do!" He let go of the doorframe and yelled while popping off a few rounds. The mother ran back to her screaming kids as she also heard the bloodcurdling yells of Jules.

"Shhhh! It's going to be alright, boys!" she said in panicked voice. "It's going to be alri—!"

CRASH!

She screamed and turned around to see a hulking robot at the entrance to the room.

"STEP AWAY FROM THE INFANTS." The android said in a deep, mechanical voice. It started walking their way, but she was prepared for this and pulled out another small gun that was strapped to her leg. A girl couldn't be too careful.

She took aim and fired at the huge automaton until it went down. Another one came in, and she did the same thing, but she was thrown across the room when it got too close. There was a loud SNAP that came from her leg.

Somehow getting back up, she peppered the robot again when it got too close to the crying toddlers, but it caused the cradle to tip over when it went down. The hit she took had done its damage as she had to crawl to the cradle. She was thankful to see that her kids were still okay from the tumble.

But she also realized something else. There was no way they were getting out of this alive. She could hear Jules struggling, and she was seriously injured with a fractured or broken leg. She and he would mostly likely be dead soon, and the kids would get taken away. Neither of them were in any position to keep fighting.

This was it.

She cradled them in her arms while on her stomach. The kids in their mother's arms slowed their crying for the moment.

Her two beautiful twin sons. The older one of them had royal blue fur and his father's emerald green eyes while his brother had lime green fur and the same sky blue eyes of his mother. This was the last time she would ever see them, and there wasn't a hole in her heart big enough for all of the sadness and regret that pumped through it.

"Shhhhhhh," she said to them. They still whimpered, but the blue one opened his tear-soaked eyes. "It's going to be alright, you two. Everything will be just fine. It may not seem like that now, but it will be. Daddy and I aren't going to make it out of here, boys. We just aren't. We won't be able to see your first steps, or listen to your first words, or watch you grow up, but I want you two to know this: we love you. Daddy loves you. I love you. We'll always love you. You boys are the greatest things to ever happen to us. I know you can't understand me, but I still can't say it enough. I don't know what'll happen to you, but I know you'll be okay. I know you'll make it. You two are young, but you are very strong. I know you'll be okay. I just know it." She turned to her green son and kissed him on the nose. "Eli, I love you." She then turned to her other one and did the same thing. "David, I love you. Daddy loves both of you, and so do I. Don't worry about us. Daddy and I will be just fine, okay?" Her tears came out bitterly, but she still cracked a loving smile. "Be safe. Look after each other. I know you'll be fine." Just then, a robot came in and grabbed her. Too weak to fight, she resigned to her fate and let them take her. As she was getting carried away, she turned back to her infant sons. "I'm sorry," she said, although it sounded like a pained, heartbroken squeak.

Another robot went into the room. Its chest opened, revealing two small seats. It grabbed the kids and put them gently into said seats as it strapped them down. It shut its chest. "TARGETS APPREHENDED. RETURNING TO BASE," it said as it broke down a wall and flew off into the raging storm.

When Bernie heard that, she shed another tear. She was brought into the living room and dropped onto the floor beside her bruised and broken husband. He was still alive, but only barely. With whatever strength he could muster, he grabbed his wife's hand and looked at her.

God, she was gorgeous. Bernadette, or "Bernie" as she was widely known, had the softest set of blue eyes anywhere. They complimented her vivid lavender fur and the tuft of golden hair that was on her forehead. As she looked at him with a broken smile, she gazed into his emerald green eyes. He was a royal blue hedgehog—like the two's firstborn—and had the looks of a model but with a heart of gold. He was all that with a tuft of dark brown hair of his forehead.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't… I couldn't…."

"Shhhhhh," she said. "I know. I know they'll be okay. I have a gut feeling about it."

"I hope you're right."

"ANY FINAL WORDS?" said a mechanized voice. When the couple looked up, they saw the remaining androids encircling them. Eight of them to be exact.

"I only wish I could see the day where you all get scrapped and recast as pipes for a shitter," spat Jules.

BANG!

BANG!

"'TIL DEATH DO YOU PART," said one of the robots.

The sound of sirens and flashing of red and blue lights was approaching the home. The robots fled into the stormy night sky by flying into it. Their mission was another brilliant success.

* * *

The only sound in the dark room was that of soft snoring and breathing. A king-sized bed housed a loving husband and wife. The two faced opposite sides. The husband was on the right side, and he faced the ajar bedroom door. His wife was on the left facing a window that showcased the powerful storm rocking the city.

His eyes fluttered open as a light came on from the nearby hallway. A soft, silent stepping sound was heard, but who was it? The squirrel's question was answered quickly as he saw his 8-year-old son going to the bathroom.

" _Couldn't wait until morning, could you, Elias?_ " the man mentally asked. Turning over, he read the clock. 1:19 am. " _I hope they got out alright._ "

He moved slowly towards his wife and gently put his arm around her waist and gently cuddled her. She stirred a bit, but she still snored softly. Before returning to his slumber, he gently kissed her cheek.

RIIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIIING!

" _God, who's calling me at this hour?!"_ he mentally spat.

"Could you get that, Max? ( _ **Alicia Acorn: Emily Rose**_ )" his sleepy wife asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, ( _ **Maximillian Acorn: Robert Redford**_ )" he responded. He turned over onto his back and reached for the phone that rang on the bed's large headrest. "Hello…?"

"Is this the home of Mr. and Mrs. Maximillian Acorn?"

"Yes, this is Max Acorn. Who's calling?"

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience of this late-night call, Mr. Acorn. I'm Captain Rodney the Porcupine of the Mobotropolis Police Department."

"There a reason you're calling so late, Captain? Did the MFMG Building get broken into?"

"It wasn't your building that was broken into, sir."

Max hesitated. He had a bad idea of what this call was about, but he dismissed it. "Then why are… why are you calling me?"

"Sir, there was an incident earlier tonight at E. 123 Omega Street. Whoops, hold on. Sorry, _123 E._ Omega Street."

NO. NO!

His eyes shot up in fear. Alicia was still dreary, but she knew something wasn't right just by judging Max's voice. To her dismay, she got the full effect of his frozen face when their son, Elias, opened the door as the light from the bathroom shined on his face.

"Daddy?" a voice from a hall asked. Little Elias had shut the bathroom light off and turned on his parents' bedroom light. He gasped when he saw his dad's panicked face. "Daddy? What's wrong?"

"C-C-Captain…," Max stuttered, "why are you telling me my partners' address? Where are Jules and Bernadette?! Where are my godsons?! Tell me they're alright!"

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Acorn."

Tears like poison rolled down his face. He was not religious, but he prayed to Chaos that this was a sick joke. Someone had to have been pranking him.

"Daddy?" A new voice was heard. She had just turned three years old a few days ago. A little chipmunk with her father's sapphire blue eyes quietly stumbled in behind her big brother.

"Max…," said Alicia. "w-what's going on?"

"Officer…," Max choked out, "where are my friends?! Where are my godsons?! Tell me! Tell me now!"

"Your partners fought for their lives, Mr. Acorn. But… but they didn't win. A-A-And we can't find their babies. I'm a-afraid the Hedgehogs' twins are just like the other babies: gone without a trace."

"No! This must a joke! Please tell me this is a sick joke, officer!"

"Max!" Alicia exclaimed. "You're scaring the children!" Sally and Elias were now cowering near the doorway. "Now what happened?!"

He hung up the phone and looked at his wife. He quickly grabbed her and held her tightly as he sobbed terribly into her shoulder. His best friends… his and his wife's godchildren… gone. They were just like the rest: parents and family members dead protecting their young kin, but failing as their youths were presumably taken without so much of a trace.

He held onto his wife for dear life. He and Alicia had known Jules and Bernie since high school. They were the best men and maids-of-honor at each other's weddings. Business partners. Defenders of truth. Bringers of news. He felt like everything good and happy had been ripped away from him. At that moment, he only had one thing… and that one thing was hard to come by in the city these days: a family.

"The-They're gone, Ali," he choked out. "David… Eli… they're gone too."

Alicia was speechless as her expression told the story. The shock of it all made her grip around Max tighten even more. She closed her eyes and sobbed silently with her beloved.

Poor Elias and Sally. This was the first time that they witnessed their strong parents cry. They were so distressed. They did not know what caused them to break down, but they knew that something was very wrong.

Elias approached his grieving parents with Sally hiding behind him, keeping an eye on the whole scene.

"Daddy? Why are you crying?" Elias asked. "I thought you said grownups don't cry?"

Max turned around to see the worried looks on his kids' faces. He quickly picked them up and brought them onto the bed where he and Alicia put them in a group hug.

"I-I'm not losing you guys," Max squeaked. "Don't leave me."

"Daddy? What happened?"

* * *

It shouldn't just be them pulling into their personalized parking spots at this time. The spot to their right should have a woman with a black coffee and a man with the same but with a splash of Irish crème in his.

Coworkers. Co-owners. Godparents to their children. _Best friends_.

Without a word, Alicia opened the driver seat door. As she slammed it shut, she began to walk towards the parking garage's exit. However, she noticed Max wasn't along beside her. She turned back to the car to see his sullen face stare blankly at his lap. He had that look on his face all morning. Chaos, it broke her heart to see him like this. But she needed him to be strong for their compatriots, their children, and her especially.

She walked back and opened his door slowly. His face had never dried. The tears never stopped falling.

"Max, you know we have to do this now." He was silent. "They have a right to know."

He turned towards her and stared at her for just a moment. Then he nodded slowly. He unbuckled himself and got out, slamming the door shut as they walked out of the parking garage silent as the grave.

A low rumble of thunder was heard in the distance. The skies produced a steady rain, but that didn't stop the bustling burgh from being as lively as it was… even if it was only 7 o'clock in the morning. The precipitation would do the farmers outside of the suburbs a lot of good, that was for sure. But it just seemed too symbolic, given the circumstances.

This place was a symbol of hope in the crime-ridden city. It was only three stories tall, but rumors of renovation and expansion for the building were in the air. The business was started by the Acorns and Hedgehogs in 1988 and delivered the truth. Sure, there were various stations with studios for radio and television (and if they were lucky, their own newspaper), but they were localized stations of globally-known news corporations—like the Mobian Broadcasting Company (MBC) or Mobian News Network (MNN). They were almost always paid off to only disclose the information that they chose and not give out the full truth.

This company only had the one building, but in the time of its inception, it proved to be the city's most known and well-respected news organization, and it wasn't even a part of any national or global news chain. This was the Mobotropolis Freedom Media Group (MFMG) Building. Within its walls, it produced a daily newspaper—the Mobotropolis Freedom Gazette—morning and nightly news shows, which were getting better ratings by the day, and its own radio station (WCBM) with various shows that ranged from global news to local sports.

Walking through the main doors, they saw their secretary, Rita the Wolf, on the phone while balancing her 3-year-old daughter, Lupe, on her lap. When she saw who was coming in, she told whomever was on the other end of the line that she would call them back.

"Morning, Max. Morning, Ali," she said. "I hope it's not too much trouble if my daughter's here… with…." Her speech slowed as she studied her employers' faces more. "Is… Is something wrong?"

"Hi, Max!" screamed Lupe. "Hi, Ali!" The happy toddler jumped off her mother's lap and went around the desk to hug Alicia's leg.

"Lupe, come back here!" her mother ordered.

"It's alright, Rita," Alicia said as she scooped up the toddler into her arms. Lupe hugged her mother's employer while Alicia went around the desk to give the wolf her daughter back.

"Is something the matter, Mrs. Acorn?" asked Rita. Alicia and Max nodded.

"Rita, can you please get everyone into the meeting room? We have… something that you all need to hear immediately." The solemnness in her tone made her very concerned, even scared.

"No… No problem." She grabbed her phone, dialed for the P.A. system, and said, "Attention, everyone. The Acorns need to speak with everyone in the building right now. Everyone is required to meet in the meeting room as soon as possible. Thank you."

She put the phone down and gathered her daughter while she looked back to a very despondent Max. He was looking at a picture that was hanging behind the wolves. It had Max, Alicia, Jules, and Bernadette all on it. Rita looked at Max, then to the picture. She slowly alternated between the two. She had a feeling….

"Come, you two," Alicia said. Rita nodded and walked with the Acorns to the meeting room.

"Max? Ali?" asked Lupe. "Why you so _shhhhhhhhh_?"

"Lupe!" Rita scolded quietly.

"No, it's alright," said Alicia. "You'll find out soon enough."

Lupe didn't like that answer, but she remained quiet nonetheless. Rita was growing more and more fearful with each step she took.

The small group eventually made it into the meeting room where they found a few of their colleagues discussing amongst themselves. One of them, a hen, walked up to the Acorns.

"What's up with the meeting?" the hen asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"You'll find out, Melissa," Max said.

The impatient hen was about to say another word, but Rita shook her head as if to tell her to drop it. Melissa raised her hands to give up on it, and she walked away.

As the room slowly filled up, everyone could notice something was wrong with their bosses. They looked away at their employees as if they were hiding something.

"Is everyone here?" Alicia asked. The whole room was dead quiet. "Alright. Now you—. Hold on. Let us get up to where you can see us."

Alicia gestured to Max. Max silently came over and followed his wife. There was a long meeting room table in the middle of the room, and the co-owners got on it and stood up.

"Can everyone see us now?"

The group collectively said, "Yes."

Mrs. Acorn opened her mouth, but she had a hard time figuring out how to break the news and try to be delicate at the same time.

"All of you are probably wondering why you aren't following up on leads, writing stories, or simply doing your jobs right now. You all have a right to know why. Some of you have asked, but we said that you would find out soon enough." She paused. "As you know, for the last six weeks, the city has been running scared due to this 'Baby Scare.' Children across the city have vanished left and right where their families were brutally killed by what the police believe are to be a faction of Dr. Robotnik's robots that were stolen while being shipped to Empire City. Those vile machines are still under the control of a *SNIFFLE* sick, twisted serial killer with no regard for man- or animal-kind." She closed her eyes and cried to keep her tears in there, but they still fell and stung like salt in a wound. "But now… now…." She couldn't bring herself to say it. Not yet, at least. "A few of you may be wondering right now, 'Wait, why is it just the Acorns up on a table? Where are Bernie and Jules?'"

A collective gasp of shock came about the room. Men and women alike covered their mouths with their hands and stared at their bosses. " _Please no!_ " they thought with a single voice.

"As you… As you a-a-all kn-know…." Alicia took in a sharp breath. She knew that this last bit was going to hurt the most.

But a booming voice came to her rescue. "What Alicia is trying to say," Max began, "is that this morning at 1:19, we got a call from the Mobotropolis Police Department. Last Sunday, June 23rd, a pair of twins… were born. David and Eli." He took a pause to take a deep breath.

"NO!" Rita howled. The group turned to the secretary, holding her daughter for dear life. "Max, Alicia, please don't say what I think you you're going to say! Please!" Her panic began to frighten the more skeptical in the group. "Not Jules! Not Bernie! Not their sons!"

The group looked to the Acorns, their gazes coated in disbelief and fear.

Alicia and Max looked Rita in the eyes and nodded as they cried.

The room was dead silent for a moment, the shock too much for them to react at first. But then some people began weeping uncontrollably. Some were too shocked to say a word. Some silently cried.

Rita held her sobbing daughter tightly in her arms. She kissed little Lupe on the head as she consoled her little one. "Don't leave me, Lupe," Rita whispered into her daughter's ear. "Don't ever leave me."

Max consoled his wife by putting his arms around Ali's shoulders. Mrs. Acorn was a bit relieved that she didn't have to say it, though it still made her feel awful.

"Everyone!" Max called out. "Everyone, may I please have your attention?!" The mourners looked up to their bosses. "Yes, it's true that have lost our fellow journalists, our friends, _our family_. But if there is one thing that Jules and Bernadette would have wanted us to do, it'd be to stick together and look out for each other." He paused. "This will take some time to get used to, and we know it might seem impossible, but we can and will get through this. We just have to stick together. Bernie and Jules would want it that way." He paused again. "But today, we want everyone to please go home." There was a collective gasp of surprise. "Please do not take this the wrong way. Alicia and I discussed this earlier. With everything that's happened, we believe that to honor Jules and Bernie, we must shut down the presses and radio shows on the day of their deaths. The viewers and listeners will understand why we are doing this. It's not just our friends and family that we lost today. They were theirs as well. Everyone will be paid for a full shift of overtime. With that said, please go home. If you have children, give them a hug. Give them some love, whether it be overdue or just to show them that you care. Smell a rose or two. _Live_. Can you all do that?"

The group took in his words and slowly obeyed their boss. The crowd dispersed silently and solemnly, almost like a funeral. Actually, given what Max and Alicia said, it was like they gave a eulogy to the congregation.

The Acorns left the room when it was mostly empty and ascended the stairs to their top-floor office. As they looked out the south window, they dreamed of a view of the entire city from a ten-story building overlooking downtown while it symbolized hope as it would soon stand high on Knothole Hill. One day… one day.

"Pity they won't share it with us," Max said lowly.

"Yeah…," Alicia replied. She turned around towards the east end of their large office. The east side of the room were where the Acorns' desks were. Jules and Bernadette had theirs on the west side. Covering the navy-blue walls were framed front pages of years past. The first edition, the biggest news stories from riots to sporting events hung like trophies, victories on their greatest accomplishments.

The Acorns had one or two things to deal with before closing up shop on the shortened day. Alicia and Max were looking through their desks when the phone on Alicia's desk phone began to ring.

"Great," she huffed. "Now what?" She picked up the receiver and said, "Alicia Acorn."

"Alicia, it's Rita."

"What do you need, Ms. Wolf?"

"Er… it's not what _I_ need…."

"Then what is it, Rita?"

"Dr. Robotnik is here."

"Oh, joy," Alicia spat. "Just what we need right now! Rita, please send him up, but tell him if he has anything to say, he'd better make it quick."

"Will do, Alicia." Hanging up the phone, Alicia groaned.

"What now?" Max asked with a sense of worry.

"Ivo's here," Alicia responded. "He wants to talk with us about something."

"Now?!" he asked with an irritated tone.

"Yeah, now. He'll be up in just a minute."

"I just hope this is quick."

"That's what I said on the phone, or didn't you hear that?" Max cocked an eyebrow but couldn't respond as a knock was heard from the door. Man, he got there quickly. "Come in, doctor."

The oak door creaked open and the doctor stepped in. He wasn't the world's most perfect-looking specimen (with his round-shaped body, unnecessarily tight rubber pants, bald head, an over-the-top red mustache, a red jacket, and the goggles on his head), but his genius mind more than made up for it. Like the Mobotropolis Freedom Media Group, Doctor Ivo Robotnik was one of the city's greatest success stories. However, he was not without controversy.

The doctor had an unbelievable IQ of 300, and he had a knack for robotics and economics. That's how he made his fortune. He founded the Robotnik Robotics Corporation after he graduated college at 18 years old. That was in 1970. His corporation began creating machines that sped up automobile production. Now his flagship company was the world's foremost leader in creating robots for automobile production and large-scale manufacturing. Recently, the doctor began a line of personal care droids that would help those most fortunate (for example, people in retirement homes). However, this business move of his amassed some very bad press, especially in regards to an accident that occurred almost two months prior which Alicia had alluded to downstairs.

Still, his business was so profitable that it helped the fat doctor buy up most of Mobotropolis's bigger businesses, from Ferrum Steelworks to the Shamarian Oil Company (now called the "Oil Ocean Corporation") to having major ownership stakes in all the other city's news stations.

However, Robotnik's always been suspected of questionable dealings. Genius or not, how he acquired the city's various businesses rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, especially former owners and employees. Some think that there was blackmail and other illegal practices going on, but nothing has ever proven.

That, however, might be because he had a significant controlling interest within the city's various public services. He was more or less responsible for the mayor getting re-elected, and he supplied the police force with best equipment money could buy, even supplies that had questionable origins.

But what had to be the most controversial thing about him was the fact that he hired some of the worst scum the city had ever seen in an attempt to "give them a second chance." No one bought this. These men and women were better off in a cell with no chance at parole. They worked for the city in places like the sanitation department and as officials on the city's docks among other places. To the surprise of no one, these were hotbeds for criminal activity. A lot of illegal goods—if you even want to call them "goods"—had been sold and purchased there, and the police force locked the perpetrators up only to have them thrown back out because someone covered their bail or the evidence wasn't concrete.

The whole cycle of Robotnik, his business dealings, his connections, and "good heart to give those a second chance" was rotten to the core. He presented himself a legitimate and educated (and if a third word could be used, egotistical) business mogul, but there was something else at play. Was this man dealing with the city's biggest crime boss? Was he in cahoots with the Eggman?

The wildly mustached man walked in as he held onto a briefcase. He shut the door behind him and walked to the Acorns who were now leaning against Max's desk. The doctor seemed to have a spring in step.

"Good morning, Alicia. Good morning, Maximillian. ( _ **Dr. Robotnik: Mike Pollock**_ )" Robotnik greeted. "Wet one today, isn't it?" His cheeriness annoyed them. "Say, what's with all your employees leaving the building? There some kind of fire drill going on today?"

"Hello, Ivo," Alicia greeted. "What brings you in today?"

"This." He set his briefcase on Alicia's desk and took something out. It was the MFMG's Sunday edition, and it didn't have a flattering picture on it, at least to the doctor. He handed it to the owners and waited.

"Yes, it's yesterday's paper," Max said. "What seems to be the problem?"

"This," he said again as he pointed to the front page. "I cannot say I like your choice in front page news."

"What? One of the city's biggest drug busts?"

"No, it was _how_ your people portrayed it."

"I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Stop looking at the pictures like children and read the fine print."

"Calm down, doctor," Alicia said. The two read quietly for a minute. "So, what appears to be the problem with the news?"

"It's how your journalists worded it. The way its laid out gives me the impression that you think that those responsible are the worst sort of criminals."

"Well, they were busted for acquiring and distributing methamphetamines and weed on the streets, _and_ they were all on property that you own. Oh, and most if not all of them have a history of doing this before."

"No, you aren't seeing the big picture, Alicia."

"What 'big picture'? Crime is crime, Ivo."

"What I am complaining to you two about is how you are deliberately defacing my company and my workers."

Max interjected with, "Like my wife said, this isn't the first time that your workers, who all seem to have questionable backgrounds when put mildly, have been busted like this."

"That's not what I am saying!" Ivo screamed.

"Then what are you saying?" Max was known for having a hot temper, and it was starting to show.

"That your company is purposefully giving my businesses bad reputations."

"It's not our fault that you constantly hire reprobates that have been in and out of prison their whole lives! You know how you can stop this, Ivo? Stop hiring criminals!"

"And you know that I want these criminals to have a second chance at contributing to society."

"I hate to say it, Ivo," Alicia began, "but Max is right. If you'd hire good, qualified people, then you won't have this kind of crap. It doesn't take an IQ of 300 to figure that out! Besides, you're barking at us like Max and I wrote it. If you have a problem with a news article, then write a letter to the editor. Not us."

"But it's you and your partners that give them the green light to publish."

"Would you rather we lie to the people? I think every John and Jane Doe from here to Spagonia has a right to know the truth."

"No, but I am asking you to not knock my businesses down."

"Then for the last time, stop hiring scummy people," Max hissed. "Is there anything else you want?"

"Yes, there is. I take it and your partners got my document a few weeks ago?" The Acorns nodded with angry faces. "And what did you think of my proposal?" They stared him down with those same contempt faces. "Ah, I see. Didn't like it? I'm prepared to offer more, if that's what you want. Where are Jules and Bernadette? I would like for them to be here so that we can discuss this further." They opened their mouths to rebuke him, but their angry faces turned to saddened ones. "What are those looks for?"

Max sighed and said, "You asked us earlier why everyone was exiting the building, Ivo." He paused. "There's no fire drill going on, otherwise you would've heard a siren."

Alicia added, "There's a reason why they're leaving… and why Bernie and Jules aren't here."

"And why's that?" asked Robotnik.

With a sigh and pain in her throat, Alicia said, "They were killed this morning."

The doctor's eyebrows slowly went up as his mouth was open slightly. "You're joking?" he asked half-heartedly.

"We wouldn't dare joke about this, doctor." She paused and fought back a tear. "They were trying to leave for a vacation with their newborns… but those robots of yours that were stolen some time ago ruined that." The doctor stood there as a surprised look had latched to his face.

What Alicia was referring to was a heist on a shipment of Robotnik's robot helpers that were en route to Station Square to be used for a large company based out of that city, but somewhere along the way, the delivery truck transporting them crashed and landed at the bottom of the Echidna River. The only thing the truck had inside when the police found it was the driver's dead body. The androids were gone, presumably stolen. There were telltale clues on the bridge where the truck fell off that it was forced off the road just by noticing that were some different tire tracks to that of the truck, but investigators weren't able to identify what tire was used, much less what kind of automobile it was. There were no witnesses to the accident, so the case went cold.

A few weeks later, those robots were identified by various witnesses when they performed attacks across the city… eerily similar attacks that all had the modus operandi as the attack on Jules, Bernadette, and their twins… and those attacks have been happening for the last six weeks.

"The reason you saw all of our employees leaving today is because we lost some good friends," Alicia said. "It's out of respect to them that we are silent today. I just hope our readers and viewers understand our decision."

"I'm sure they will," the doctor said solemnly. The Acorns nodded. "Please accept my sincerest condolences."

"Thank you, Ivo," Max said.

"They will be greatly missed. But back to business. That proposal?" he asked as he opened up his briefcase and showed them the document.

Their eyes lit up. You could see the anger in them, the scorn, the hatred. He had the audacity to bring this back up?

"Excuse me, doctor?" Max said darkly.

"I hate to bring this up again, doubly so considering the tragic news, but it still is the other reason why I'm here today." They continued to stare at him with intense hatred, their eyes filled to the brim with venom. "So, if $20 million isn't enough, then how about $25 million?" Not a flinch out of either of them. "Okay… $50 million?" Nothing. "$75 million?" Still nothing. "$100 million? $150 million? $250 million?" Still no signs of movement. "Look, I am giving you the king's ransom for this establishment. You have my word that I'll keep this place in tip-top shape." Still nothing from them. "And look on the bright side, for the price that I'm offering, you won't have to split it with Jules and Bernadette."

Finally, one of them moved.

Alicia walked quickly toward the doctor with a lethal look on her face.

SLAP!

The contact made Robotnik take a step back. He rubbed his cheek and gave Alicia a flabbergasted expression.

" _How dare you say that! Our best friends were killed by some of_ _ **your**_ _robots, and you have the nerve to say that about Jules, Bernie, and our lost godchildren?!_ " she screamed. " _What kind of soulless fucker says that?!_ "

"I meant no harm!"

"Oh, blow it out ass, Ivo! You're full of shit, and you know it!" screamed Max as he stormed up the fat man. "This isn't about money! This is about getting our media group so your friend Eggman can have total control of the city's news flow! Eggman wants us to suffer! He wants a complete grip on the city, and this business is the last beacon of hope for its citizens!"

"That's not it at all, Max!"

"Don't you dare lie to us! You and Eggman want this! It's the biggest thing left in this city that represents hope. It's something you want, but you just can't get your grubby, little fingers on it!"

"That is not why, Maximillian, and you know that! I'm a businessman. I see the MFMG as a big money-maker in the news business! I want that, and I'm willing to give you anything for it!"

"We're not interested in selling, Ivo," Alicia spat. "Especially to you."

"$300 million then!"

"No!" the Acorns yelled.

"$400 million!"

"NO!"

"$500 million!"

" _ **NO!**_ "

"$1 BILLION!"

" _ **THAT'S ENOUGH!**_ " The Acorns stopped and took a breath or two.

"We are not going to sell, Ivo!" screamed Alicia. "Not now, not ever!"

"Please, you two! You must see-."

"We're _not_ interested! Whatever amount you throw out, it won't matter! We are not going to sell!"

"But you just lost your partners! They'd want you to sell!"

Max violently grabbed the man by his coat and brought him in close, looking him dead in the eye at point-blank range with all the potent rage of a volcano. "Don't. You. _Ever_ use our friends as leverage," he hissed. "They'd want us to keep goin; not sell out." Max took the proposal and tore it to shreds. "Now get out before I call the police and have you thrown out. Understand?"

The doctor stood there staring at the Acorns. He was like that for a few seconds, trying to call their bluff. But no dice. Robotnik sighed and hung his head. "Fine," he spat. "Have it your way. But you will regret not selling this place to me."

"Is that a threat, Ivo?" Max snarled.

"No, it's just that you would've enjoyed an early retirement."

"Get the hell out."

Ivo turned away and walked out of the office. Max and Alicia turned to each other and said, "Do you think we've heard the end of him?" asked Alicia.

"If I knew, I'd tell you."

Robotnik made it to the ground floor of the building and stepped out of the elevator. He turned and gave a death stare at the two wolves behind the secretary's desk. Rita was under the desk grabbing her purse, but Lupe saw him and growled lowly at the man. She knew that he wasn't as good as he made himself out to be by instinct alone, instincts that every descendant of the old Native Wolf Pack Tribe had.

He made his way out the door and walked shortly to his limousine driver. He opened his door, through his briefcase on the seat and climbed in. "Go," he said.

"DESTINATION?" his robotic valet said in a mechanized voice.

"The Enterprises Building, and tell the others to prep my chopper. I'm headed to the rig tonight."

"AFFIRMATIVE, SIR." With that, his robotic valet drove off. "WERE YOU SUCCESSFUL, DOCTOR?"

The doctor threw his arm at the closest window, nearly breaking it while he screamed, "NO, YOU GODDAMN MACHINE! DOES IT LOOK LIKE I GOT IT?!"

Robotnik's bad press with the robotic helpers that got turned into murdering machines was still evident, but he believed that robots could be the future. All of his personal drivers were robots made by him. He trusted his machines because he created them to be the best. Best at what? Everything.

Driving through downtown Mobotropolis, he made it to the Robotnik Towers, a hotel chain of his that had locations in every United Federation city on Mobius. The doctor lived in the penthouse suite. The Robotnik Towers was only one of the many companies under the Robotnik Enterprises banner.

* * *

The sun was setting in the west past the mountains. The doctor stood with his hands behind his back as he looked out a large window at the city. The street lights started to turn on to illuminate the burgh. " _Soon… this charade will end,_ " he thought.

"DOCTOR," a robot stated. "YOUR HELICOPTER HAS ARRIVED."

"Thank you," he responded. He walked away from the window and up a flight of stairs where he opened a door to reveal a chopper with its blades already whirring. He jumped in the seat to the right of the robotic pilot. "The rig."

"LOCATION ACKNOWLEDGED."

The helicopter began to rise slowly and began moving east towards the ocean. Soon enough, they got out of the city and above the Mobotropolis Docks. Weapons of all kinds came through the ports. Rifles, semiautomatics, pistols, C-4; you name it, they got it. Dark dealings especially came from just down the road. Amongst the warehouses stood the Mobotropolis Sanitation Department: a place where trash was collected on a regular basis, but also served as the city's top method of weapon and drug distribution.

They continued further east into the Central Sea where the continents of Northamer, Soumerca, Eurish, and Efrika all had holdings. The world's busiest body of water with all its port trading.

Off the coast of the city by ten miles stood an older-style oil rig that had the faintest of sunlight still shining on it. It had all the decks and offices a rig would need. It was supported by four thick, cylindrical beams painted black near the water surface with white striping above it. Each column had a ladder that could be used to climb to the surface of the rig. On the surface, but underneath the main levels, were various docking stations for boats of modest size. Finally, one more cylindrical pillar was in the heart of the lower half and was thinner than the other four. It would be where the oil would go up when successfully drilled, but that wasn't what it was used for anymore. To the everyman, this was a run-of-the-mill oil rig for the Oil Ocean Corporation, albeit an officially defunct one. However, it held a dark secret, one that only the doctor and his robots knew about. It was fixed up and updated last year, but the city council said that the doctor couldn't use it, despite its renovations. However, it was all a part of the plan.

The chopper landed on the rig's helipad. Robotnik was greeted by a few of the robots who worked there. They were aligned in a way that there were two rows of robots, and they all faced inwards, leading to the rig's control room in the offices at the top of the base.

Going in, the robot in charge of the facility walked to its creator. "GOOD EVENING, EGGMAN," it greeted using the doctor's second identity, the same one that ruled the city with an iron fist.

"Are the subjects ready?" Eggman asked.

"YES. THEY ARE WAITING BELOW DECK."

"Let's hope this time it yields results."

Robotnik walked to the elevator in the room and was accompanied by a few more robots. Eggman reached over to the floor panel and punched in the combination.

L-2-L-3-Door Close-Door Open-Door Close-Emergency Exit.

DING. DING. DING.

The three dings meant that the secret password was put in correctly. The doors shut and the elevator went down beneath the levels of the rig under the ocean's surface to a secret testing chamber on the sea floor. It was expansive in size. One day it would host the doctor's most important possessions, but to Eggman, that day could not come soon enough (if at all).

It came to a stop, and the passengers walked out. They walked down a slight flight of stairs to see a group of other robots working away. There was a large pane of glass on the opposite wall. Beyond it was a sterile, white room that housed many young children. There were 100 of them, all taken from their homes by large robots of the doctor's. They had no families to speak of. Well… not anymore. They have been getting harder and harder to find now since the city's Baby Scare was at its peak.

All of them were less than a year old. They were all strapped down to chairs and crying. Each of them was hooked up to a heartbeat monitor. They were lined up in a 5-row-by-20-column grid. Robots monitored their vitals and heartbeats via screens in the control room, also in a 5x20 grid, so that anyone in there could monitor a specific child.

"DOCTOR, WE ARE SET TO BEGIN."

"Let's hope this time we get one." For six weeks now, testing has yielded no survivors. And with the population of one-year-olds declining within Mobotropolis, the doctor was beginning to run out of opportunities and test subjects. If he had to expand his search for less-than-one-year-olds to cities other than Mobotropolis, he would. "Begin."

A robot at the control panel flipped a switch. Suddenly in the next room, the ceiling split into two, right down the middle. These panels parted in opposite directions as another ceiling was coming down. However, this ceiling looked like something straight out of a torture scene in a movie.

One hundred needles mounted to the ceiling began coming down slowly and stuck its syringes into the toddlers. If there weren't any children crying before, they all were now as each of them were punctured in the right arm. Each of the needles had a tube that ran up through the ceiling. They began pumping a green-colored substance through those tubes that slowly filled each needle. When they were all filled up, another 'bot hit a different switch to commence the injection.

Like an influenza shot, the liquid inside the needles was injected into each of the children's bloodstreams. The crying heightened again as they all tried to squirm away. And what was the doctor doing while this was happening? He just stood stoically in the control room. He had heard screams like this before from the other test subjects and people in Mobotropolis who had crossed the Eggman. How could one man be so cold and ruthless?

The screens in the control room went crazy. Each of the children's individual heart rates began to go berserk. Their collective beats-per-minute were going haywire, far higher than normal. The doctor looked on, waiting patiently.

Then it began happening.

One by one, babies began to succumb to the treatment. They just stopped moving and went limp, dying in front of his eyes. This happened to all the other children as well. The serum once again failed. For whatever reason, the serum just wouldn't bond to a child's DNA. It always triggered a cardiac arrest, and death followed soon after.

The white room became silent. One hundred lifeless bodies sat in chairs it needles in all of them. The doctor labored a sigh.

"TEST RESULTS: ALL NEGATIVE. NO SURVIVORS," an automated voice stated.

Eggman walked up the stairs and slammed in his fists into the elevator door. "Why hasn't it worked?!" he screamed. "Every time! That serum is supposed to strengthen them; not kill them! Even when I tweak the formula, it always fails!" He punched the door a few more times in frustration and stopped when his fists began to throb in pain.

"WHAT NOW, DOCTOR?"

BLIP.

The doctor turned around. His robots went back to their stations.

BLIP.

"Where is that coming from?!"

BLIP. BLIP.

"No… this is impossible!"

"DOCTOR, THE CLOSEST ROW, THE TWO LEFT-MOST SEATS."

Eggman looked to the screens. Sure enough. Not one, but two heart beats were being picked up. The other 98 were still lifeless.

The doctor then went up to the glass and looked left to the corresponding seats. The children resting there began to stir, then cry loudly. They were both male hedgehogs; one blue, one green.

"Yes! Yes! YES!" The doctor pumped his fists and smiled devilishly. "YES! Success! A brilliant success! I've got a survivor! And not just one, but two! Yeeeeees!" He turned back to the robots. "Well, what are you waiting for?! Get those children here stat!"

"YES, DOCTOR." The robot that said that went through a door on the left and walked to the kids.

"Lift the needles from the kids, slowly," Robotnik commanded. The robot in control of that did so, and the needle machines all contracted. The ceiling of syringes went upward, and the previous ceiling pieces slid back into place. Meanwhile, the robot unfastened the kids' restraints and brought them through the door. The doctor was then handed the children.

"Hehehe! Hahaha! Hohoho! Finally!" He turned back to the robots. "We finally have survivors. We can begin Phase II, although we will need to adjust for two as opposed to one." He handed the kids off to two robots. "Get these two into their room and awaken the Caring, Recreational, Educational, Attendant Machine." He then turned to the others. "Discard the failures."

"YES, DOCTOR."

They spilt up to do their jobs as Eggman caught the elevator with the robots who held the kids. He looked at each of them and chuckled. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this day. You're going to make me so happy one day! Hehehe!"

"DOCTOR, I HAVE RECEIVED CONFIRMATION THAT THE CARING, RECREATIONAL, EDUCATIONAL, ATTENDANT MACHINE HAS BEEN PLACED IN THE CHILDRENS' ROOM. SHE IS WAITING FOR THEM THERE."

"Excellent. Tell me, these boys… when were they picked up?"

"THIS MORNING AT 12:25 A.M. THEY WERE THE ONLY CHILDREN THE SEEKER-BOTS WERE ABLE TO ACQUIRE LAST NIGHT."

"Wait… where were these boys taken from?"

"123 E. OMEGA STREET. HOME OF—."

"Wait, let me guess," Eggman said as a smile curled across his face. "Home of Jules the Hedgehog and his wife Bernadette?"

"YES."

"Hohohohoho! Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, the world is indeed a funny place! We nabbed _their_ boys! And they're going to be my subjects?! HA!"

"SIR? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY, 'THE WORLD IS INDEED A FUNNY PLACE?'"

DING!

"I'll tell you later," Robotnik said as the elevator doors opened. "Until then, get the kids to their room. I expect you to follow the instructions for Phase II to the letter. Understand?"

"YES, DOCTOR."

"Good. I'm headed back to the mainland. I'll be checking in every so often." The elevator closed again as the giddy Eggman rode it to the surface.

The robots walked down an ivory hallway that had the Robotnik logo painted on the wall: the doctor's face with his signature mustache and a cheesy smile. One robot opened the door, and they both went in with the crying children.

In the room, there was a decently-sized crib with a small chandelier overhanging it. It was essentially a bare-bones nursery with sky blue walls and a multi-colored rug. There was also a big desk that was against a wall to the right.

As the two robots left, a robot in a corner to the left of the door was activated when the door shut. Walking slowly out of it was another one of Robotnik's robots, but this one was different in terms of appearance and function.

This one was modeled to look like an animal Mobian; more specifically, a female rabbit. She had long ears that stretched down to her waist. She was also painted to look like said Mobian rabbit. She was dressed in an all-metal dress that was mainly orange in color, but had stripes of yellow and brown at the neck hole, sleeves, and bottom of the dress. The rest of her was painted a creamy tan (what her fur would look like if she were a real Mobian). Her face was also that same creamy tan, but her muzzle was white. She had orange markings around her eyes, the ends of her ears, and down the back of her head in the form of a stripe, looking a mohawk in a certain way. Her shoes were also orange—matching her dress and the markings on her head—but with yellow striping at the ankles. Finally, her eyes were like a camera. They were each equipped with an aperture that were painted brown with a lens in the middle that looked black, giving the illusion that it looked like an iris and pupil. To complete her look, she also had soft, white gloves on.

She was activated and walked towards the crib to find the crying twin brothers.

"Oh, my." Her voice was caring, gentle and feminine, but also slightly mechanical. She gently picked them up and held them close to her, slowly rocking them. "Shhhh… there, there. I have you. You are alright." Soon enough, the twins stopped crying. They opened their eyes to get their first glimpse of the robotic hare. "My, you two are so adorable! Don't worry. You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you." She noticed the holes on their arms. "Looks like sometime was given a shot of some sort. Maybe for the flu? Hold on. Let me get my first aid kit."

She set the twins back down in the crib and went to the desk where she pulled out the necessary supplies. She returned with some rubbing alcohol, cotton swabs, and two bandages.

"This might sting a little." She dabbed the cotton swab into the alcohol and smeared it on the blue boy's arm, then the green one's. They moaned weakly at the pain. "We're almost done," she assured them.

Next, she took the bandages and put them on their wounds. "All done." They still cried a little bit, so she kissed the bandages. Almost instantly, they stopped their sobbing and giggled at the robotic hare. "You two are so cute. Since we're going to living together for a while, I suppose I better introduce myself. I am your Caring, Recreational, Educational Attendant Machine. But you can call me 'CREAM' for short. CREAM the Rabbit. ( _ **CREAM the Rabbit: Tara Strong**_ )"

She giggled a bit when the two started to make silly faces. "From the information that was given to me by Dr. Robotnik, I understand that because of your abilities, you were abandoned by your parents. I must say that your parents are some of the most awful people on the planet if that was their reasoning! Dr. Robotnik built me to take care of you two. He says he has magnificent plans for you. He's a great man. He has a great heart. He also told me that you were given names." CREAM picked up the blue-furred one. "You are Blue the Hedgehog." She set Blue down and picked up his brother. "And you're Green the Hedgehog." She set him down, but the twins began to yawn. "Oh, poor dears. You must be tired! You must have had a long day!"

She went back to the desk and pulled out a pair of diapers for the youngsters and quickly put them on. CREAM then slid a blanket over them as their small heads laid gently on their soft pillow. "Aww…!" She kissed them both on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, Blue. Sweet dreams, Green." She smiled and walked out the door so they could get their rest. Even through the closed door, she could hear their soft snoring.

* * *

( watch?v=ZXvkTuMyZpM)

 **SconnieSA presents**

 **A DeviantArt and Fanfiction-dot-net Production**

 **ROGER CRAIG SMITH**

 **MIKE POLLOCK**

 _ **THE SONIC PROJECT**_

 _I've been counting all my steps_ ... **ALSO STARRING:**

 _All my no's just turned to yes_ ...

 _Silently, I must confess_ ... **CINDY ROBINSON**

 _My troubled history_ ...

 _That's washed away all my sins_ ... **JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE**

 _Starting over once again_ ...

 _This is where it all begins_ ... **TARA STRONG**

 _It's right in front of me_ ...

 _Down is not where I belong_ ... **SUSAN EISENBERG**

 _This aching heart won't turn to stone_ ...

 _There's a fire inside these bones_ ... **KAREN STRASSMAN**

 _It was meant to be_ ...

 _I see the world still full of light_ ... **JENNIFER HALE**

 _How could I ever be so blind?_ ...

 _I still haven't lost my fight_ ... **ROBERT REDFORD**

 _That haunts me in my sleep_ ...

 _I feel like waking up, I've had this dream before_ ... **EMILY ROSE**

 _I'll take these footsteps, go higher, go higher_ ...

 _I've walked an empty mile, wore down this lonely soul_ ... **JASON GRIFFITH**

 _I'll take these footsteps, go higher, go higher_ ...

 _(Woo-hoo, woo-hoo, woo-hoo) higher, go higher_ ... **PAULEY PERRETTE**

 _(Woo-hoo, woo-hoo, woo-hoo) higher, higher_ ...

 _I know only time will tell_ ... **CHRIS PRATT**

 _If all the cards will treat me well_ ...

 _'Cause this hand that I been dealt_ ... **COBIE SMULDERS**

 _Keeps me wondering_ ...

 _So now here I turn the page_ ... **TROY BAKER**

 _I've learned to silence all my rage_ ...

 _Tell me who can really say_ ... **BILL FAGERBAKKE**

 _What will tomorrow bring?_ ...

 _I feel like waking up, I've had this dream before_ ... **ROBIN LORD TAYLOR**

 _I'll take these footsteps, go higher, go higher_ ...

 _I've walked an empty mile, wore down this lonely soul_ ... **with KEITH DAVID**

 _I'll take these footsteps, go higher, go higher_ ...

 _(Woo-hoo, woo-hoo, woo-hoo) higher, go higher_ ... **and DEMI LOVATO**

 _(Woo-hoo, woo-hoo, woo-hoo) higher, higher_ ...

 _I'll find you so far away_ ... **ALL CHARACTERS ARE THE PROPERTY OF ARCHIE COMICS AND SEGA**

 _I'll find you after all_ ...

 _I'll find you so far_ ... _"_ **FOOTSTEPS" IS OWNED AND PERFORMED BY POP EVIL**

 _I'll find you after all_ ...

 _(I'll find you so far away) I feel like waking up, I've had this dream before_ ...

 _(I'll find you after all) I'll take these footsteps, go higher, go higher_ ...

 _(I'll find you so far away) I've walked an empty mile, wore down this lonely soul_ ...

 _(I'll find you after all) I'll take these footsteps, go higher, go higher_ ...

 _(I'll find you so far away) I feel like waking up, I've had this dream before_ ...

 _(I'll find you after all) I'll take these footsteps, go higher, go higher_...

 _(I'll find you so far away) I've walked an empty mile, wore down this lonely soul_ ...

 _(I'll find you after all) I'll take these footsteps, go higher, go higher_ ...

 _I feel like waking up, I've had this dream before_ ...

 _I'll take these footsteps, go higher, higher_ ...

 **DIRECTED BY SCONNIESA**

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Wow. This has been a long tine coming. Officially, the Word document with the whole story on it was created in March 23, 2016. It was finalized on June 28 of this year. But I remember announcing this story earlier than that in my other one-shots and deviantArt status updates around December 2015/January 2016, so it really took a year and a half to write this. I still believe that it's been too long in between major stories, and I cannot apologize enough for that. For reference, I wrote Affairs of State, which was 24 chapters and 147,181 words long, in five months (not including a month for editing). This is a chapter and over 8,000 words short of that and took three times longer to write and edit this animal. In my defense, senior year at UW-Whitewater was not friendly to me, and I could not skip out on my senior year and cruise right threw it. Senioritis was not an option, especially with an internship thrown in for good measure.

Excuses aside, welcome to The Sonic Project! If you are familiar with my other stories, you probably found out that this tale is much darker in tone. As a result, M is rating for violence, not sexuality (there's next to none of that sans a few instances where the word "whore" is said). The deviantArt version of this story will have chapter censors on it when appropriate, so if you reading this on dA, you can read the full story on my account (same SconnieSA username).

This is the first in a planned series of 4 stories where Sonic is portrayed as a sort of comic book superhero. This story is stylized like a comic book movie, so the Dark Knight trilogy and Marvel Cinematic Universe where big influences on the tone and story. I also got some inspiration from other Sonic stories I have read in the meantime (Street Speed and Guns Nd Love to name a few) as well as a few previously dead head-canons that were shelved.

If you've read any other of my stories, my SonAmy shipping preference should be well-documented. While there is some of that in the story, it is not the focus; not by a long-shot. If you love SonAmy, you will see it, but the moments are few and far in between. Sorry. Oh, and if you didn't guess, the song above with the celebrity names is meant to emulate an opening credit sequence to a James Bond/007 movie. All other stories in this planned series will get the same chapter 1 treatment.

Finally, please leave a review. I want to hear from you guys on how this story is going. Like if there's anything I missed in editing, please tell me. Like Affairs of State, I plan on uploading a chapter every week, so expect the second chapter on 7/6/17 and every other Thursday going forward unless noted otherwise. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. The song "Footsteps" is the property of Pop Evil. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.

 **EDIT 6/30/17** : Nothing is different in the story, but I said the next chapter would be on Thursdays going forward. Last time I checked, 7/7/17 isn't a Thursday. 7/6/17 is.

 **EDIT 2/3/19** : Starting the majority of the re-editing process by replacing words that were redundant like "robot" which was used 18 times in the first scene alone (thanks to **Zoggerific** for pointing that out). Also fixed up the beginning credits sequence to make it easier to read the voice actors' names. Also also the word count went up from 10,218 to 10,400. Also also also, I didn't include the original A/N when I republished the first chapter.


	2. A Day in the Life

**CHAPTER II – A DAY IN THE LIFE**

 **THURSDAY, JUNE 23** **RD** **, 2016**

 **25 YEARS LATER**

A feeling of aloneness came with the territory. It was all too familiar to him. The desert was a place of pure evil. Spirits roamed it, looking for him. All the years he's ventured here it never got any better. The ground was a deathly purple. Lightning lit up the sky and landed on the mountains around him. He was at the very bottom in a canyon. Purple sands with a darker purple sky.

He heard a growl from somewhere, but there was nowhere to hide for miles much less anyone in front of him. He stepped very cautiously as the storm danced above him. They'd been after him for years, but he wasn't afraid of them anymore.

The sound rumbling made him turn to the right. It was too low to the earth to be from the skies. Then he saw them charging him. He tensed up, but not in fear. He readied himself in an attacking position, ready for the fight coming his way.

"C'mon, bring it on," he muttered to himself.

Closer… and closer… and closer.

"Let's go."

The small army had reached him, signaling him to go to work. He yelled as he ran at them, beginning his assault. They were fast, powerful, and they hit like a tank. All metal exterior. Hard to penetrate… unless you knew exactly where to hit them.

A flurry of quick punches and kicks were laid on every one of them. They were all placed in the joints. Shoulders, knees, pelvises; you name it. With one down, he grabbed its arm and ripped it clean off. Sparks flew from the open shoulder.

With the arm in his hands, he used it to dish out the same kind of pain they did. All shots and hits connected. He was skilled with it, like a purple-masked turtle with a bo staff. Any attack on him was met with a quick, crushing counter. A critical hit every time. There had to be dozens of them, maybe even hundreds, but one-by-one they went down. Destroyed by the self-proclaimed "blue blur."

With one left, he went for the final blow. He rushed the drone and swung the severed arm right at its head.

WHAM!

Its metal skull flew into the rest of the metallic debris, and the body fell down having lost its power source. The fighter caught his breath as he surveyed the wreckage. Another victory. It was all worth it in the end to see what, or rather who, he would see next.

He threw his melee weapon down on the ground. But when it stopped moving, it turned to sand. He surveyed the metallic debris once more. Same thing happened: it all dissolved into purple sand. Just like that, he was alone again. The thunder and lightning above him still raged, but at least he was alone now. He had done what he had set out to do, now it was time for his reward.

The sands around him began swirling with the wind into a small tornado. He turned around to see the small sandstorm become bigger in size as each second passed. The process never changed, and it always yielded the same reward.

The storm begun to die, softly whispering the sounds of the desert and the voices he'd been hearing for years now. Suddenly, it began to take shape. A woman was lying down on the ground, obviously hurt, yet still trying to cradle something in her arms.

He knelt down in front of the mirage, and she spoke brokenly to her empty arms, "… but I still can't say it enough. I don't know what'll happen to you, but I know you'll be okay. I know you'll make it. You two are young, but you are very strong. I know you'll be okay." The figure then kissed the empty spaces. To him, she was kissing a ghost. It haunted him as to who they might have been. Surely those empty arms weren't always barren. "Be safe. Look after each other. I know you'll be fine."

Two figures then manifested themselves behind her. They were large and ominous. He tried many times to save her from them, but they would always do this to her. She would speak in broken phrases, and when she was done, she would be taken away by the hulking specters. How he wished he could help her. Now, it was time. They picked her up hauled her away. She turned around to face him and said, "I'm sorry."

And that's how it has ended… for so many years now.

 _ **EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH!**_

That stinking alarm clock.

His sheets rustled as he did, and he eventually got them off. On the adjacent wall, his counterpart also got out of his bed.

"Blue…, _**(Green the Hedgehog: Jason Griffith)**_ " his green compadre said.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. _**(Blue the Hedgehog: Roger Craig Smith)**_ " He spun himself around and walked off the bed to slam that stinking clock.

WHAM!

 _ **EHHH! EHHH! EHHH!**_

"Oh, you little—!"

WAPOW!

Great, now he needed a new clock.

"Way to go, bro!" his partner said with a slow clap and a smug smirk.

"Green, bite me."

The whooshing of a sliding door came from the other end of the room, and a robotic-looking rabbit walked in. All these years and she still looked the same. She was their Caring, Recreational, Educational Attendant Machine.

"Salutations, boys," CREAM greeted. Then she looked towards the alarm clock. Or at least what was left of it. "Must you destroy every clock you get?" she groaned.

"That was me," Blue said. "I'm sorry."

"Make sure it doesn't happen again, okay?" Even after years of being the mother figure they missed, she would still let them off the hook. She should've been sterner with them, then maybe they would act a little more mature. "You know the drill. Come on, it's time for training." She started walking with them but turned back around. "Oh, and happy birthday, boys."

"Thanks, CREAM," they said together.

The trio now began their way out the room and into an ivory, sterile-looking hallway. It bugged the brothers that it was always this clean 24/7. The robotic rabbit pressed a button at the end of the hallway, and right away they were greeted with a ding. It was the same routine every day. Ride up an elevator one floor up, train in the morning, get their breakfast, maybe train again in the afternoon if it was a Tuesday, and then get their lesson. Lather, rinse, and repeat for what seemed like an eternity to them both. But soon, it would end as their calling was only a week away. On the first of July, they would be set free to make the world a better place. Dr. Robotnik said so.

The creator of the Sonic Program, he was the father figure they needed and looked up to. He was a respected business man that wanted to save the city of Mobotropolis from the evil and crime that had become the city's cancer. That was the goal for his "children."

The door slid open to reveal a massive room with a viewing room on the far side. Inside, there was somebody already in it. Even though the man was only visible by a silhouette, they knew that facial hair anywhere.

"Just because it's your birthday it doesn't mean you will be given a lighter workload," CREAM said.

"Pfft," Green scoffed.

"Trust me, CREAM," Sonic said, "we don't expect anything less. Just let 'em try and hit me!"

"You two will be going through a highly difficult combat challenge and a predator challenge of equal severity," the robo-rabbit said as she walked to the far end of the room where stainless steel doors waited. "The predator challenge will be first." The door opened, and she went in. "Good luck."

The doors closed, leaving the twins. Once CREAM got into her room, she went to work on the computer inside.

The large room began to change. The state-of-the-art training center began moving. Small squares on the floor and walls began to rise and extend into the room. Blue and Green hopped onto one of the rising platforms, getting a few fleeting moments to stretch. Wouldn't want to pull a muscle this early in the day.

"You ready?" asked Blue.

"As always," replied Green.

Suddenly, the room stopped moving. Lights came out of every crevice, adorning the walls and creating an eerie setting. "State-of-the-art" still seemed like an understatement. The room transformed then lit up, looking like a nighttime city setting complete with brick-made buildings and steaming air ducts. Not to mention it was vandalized with graffiti and looked like an open sore in a bright city. It was all emulated to a fault, and the hedgehogs split up and scampered over the faux rooftops, getting to their positions. The sounds of whooshing were heard, signaling the entrance of the threat.

CREAM said through her mic, "Threat level: 12 armed assailants, six with assault rifles, two with sniper rifles, three with semiautomatics and proximity mines, and one with a mini-gun. Best of luck."

" _Great_ ," Blue mentally said. " _I hate mini-gunners_." They were the biggest and hardest to bring down.

Blue looked across the rooftops to make eye-contact with Green and gestured to the snipers that were on opposite roofs. Green gave his twin the thumbs up.

The duo ran silently like ninjas across the rooftops, getting out of the line of sight of their enemies as needed. Blue snuck behind the first sniper and crouched behind an A/C machine to avoid being seen. He peeked over the top to view the sniper pointing toward the ground, trying to find his targets. Looking further, he saw the other sniper across the simulation room as well as his brother. Blue gave the signal to engage.

The duo snuck up behind their targets and grabbed them, covering their mouths. These robots were perfect, physical representations of both Mobians and humans. They had all their tendencies and weaknesses… such as being knocked out by a lack of oxygen. Ten seconds passed before both snipers went under and fell limp. The duo then took their rifles and bent the barrels to ensure that no other robot could use it.

Two down, ten to go.

Blue and Green went their separate ways and began to pick off their other attackers. Green could easily hold his own, leaving Blue to find a lowly droid with an assault rifle patrolling on his own. He grinned and went at him with his speed, knocking him down and grabbing his rifle. He slammed the butt of the its gun into its skull to knock it out. The sound of stomping legs came a-coming, forcing Blue to quickly climb up a fire escape. With a few robots tending to its fallen comrade, that freed Blue up to take down one that was trying to lay down a mine with a silent takedown.

That was when the mini-gunner's barrel started spinning.

Green came in and crashed into it. Blue saw this opportunity and came to aid his brother. Usually mini-gunners needed to dealt with last, but he was already here, so what the hell? The two focused heavy strikes on its abdomen. Green tried taking away its mini-gun, but with limited success. Blue saw Green getting a little separation between the robot and his big gun, so Blue ran toward a nearby wall, jumped, and sprang off it and towards the android. He grabbed its head and took it down to the ground, knocking it out instantly like a wrestler in the WWE.

"Showoff," Green said.

"Always and forever," Blue retorted.

Their conversation was held up when the rushing of android legs came again. They zipped away to see all of their remaining targets. There was a total of six of them left. They all huddled around the hulking robot. Green and Blue had hopped their ways to rooftops that were across from each other. They looked down at the mass of robots and then at each other. They smirked and nodded.

Showtime.

The duo leaped off and landed on two of them, taking them out of the fight instantly. The remaining four readied their weapons, but Green and Blue quickly disarmed them and threw the guns aside. Four Mobian-like robots against two supersonic speedsters. Guess who was going to win? If you guessed the droids, then you would be wrong. The brothers quickly put their fighting techniques to good use to take them out as they broke the androids' "bones" and crashed their heads against each other. They flopped to the turf unceremoniously as one would expect.

"First simulation: completed," CREAM said. The room began to shake a little bit as the room went back to its original barren and flat form. The remains of the robots were quickly disposed of by specially made cleaning robots that spawned from the stainless-steel doors that CREAM went through. They quickly swept up the debris, leaving Blue and Green completely alone again.

"Let's get this started, CREAM," Green said as he cracked his knuckles. "I'm gettin' hungry here."

"It'll only go faster if you and Blue are as efficient as we know you can be. Oh, and another perfect performance as usual, though you could've done better if you'd left the mini-gunner for last."

"Well," Blue began, "we were going to do that, but the situation presented itself. So, why not go out of order? It's the only thing that breaks the monotony around here!" Their robotic mother-figure ignored that comment and kept clicking away at the computer.

The floors began to move again. However, this time a large section of the floor descended deeper into the room. It arose as quickly as it went down, but it brought with them several fighter robots.

"There are 50 enemies for you to face. Thirty of them are weaponless, ten have knives or blades of some variety, four have electrical stun sticks, three have police riot shields, and three have bodily armor. Threat level is extremely high. Good luck."

Blue stretched out his arm and twitched his fingers. "Bring it," he said.

The robots began to charge them, beginning with the armored baddies, but carefully placed blows to the breaks in the armor told the story. Of course, other robots tried to come in and blindside the hedgehogs. Having been taught at a young age to anticipate these kinds of attacks, Blue and Green never let one of them hit them. Twenty-five years of training would give you that ability, and they were made into perfect fighters. They had the ability to run fast, dish out fast-paced, critical hits on their targets with surgical precision; and be able to handle dozens of oncoming enemies. Nothing could stop them. It would serve them well considering what was going to be happening on July the 1st.

With one left, Green zoomed up to it and tossed him towards his partner. "Here's one for you, Blue!"

"Thanks!" he replied. He balled up his fist and leapt at the robot, connecting a brutal blow to the nose in the process.

With that last one, they surveyed their work. Fifty Mobian droids with broken arms and legs. In the middle of the pile of wreckage stood two supersonic hedgehogs without so much as a scratch on them, each stretching themselves out and cracking their joints.

"I keep tellin' 'em to bring us a bigger challenge…," Blue mewled to no one in particular.

The doors on the other end of the training facility opened. The two that stood in the observation room walked into the room towards the brothers. CREAM had a smug smile. The man to her left, however, had more of a serious façade. His hands were behind his back as he strolled over with perfect posture. His wardrobe had changed very little over the years, doubly so for his facial hair. It wasn't all brown like in his younger days. It had some grey hairs intertwined from his higher age. One of Mobotropolis's greatest men. He was arguably the city's begotten son. Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Blue and Green both got of the scrap heap to meet them.

"Another successful test," CREAM stated with cheeriness in her vocal processors.

"Give us a challenge next time, 'kay?" Green said. He and his older brother looked up to the doctor. "Pretty good, huh?" The businessman cocked an eyebrow. Green and Blue looked a little worried. He was normally never this stoic towards their performances. "Did we do something wrong?"

Just then, the doctor relaxed and smiled. The twins exhaled a sigh of relief as their father figure laughed wholeheartedly. "No!" Robotnik said. "Not at all! It was just another quality test. I must say, it's been awhile since you've failed one."

"Then give us some harder ones!"

"Maybe CREAM should."

"So, what are you doing here, doc? You're usually a little busy for us."

"Alas, I am, Green," Ivo said as he put a hand on Green and Blue's shoulders. "But I just had to see how you were doing so close to the 1st. Are you excited about this as much as I am?"

"If it gets us out of here faster," Blue began, "the better. I'm getting some serious cabin fever here, Ivo."

"It'll only be for a few more days, Blue. You have my word."

"But I'm ready now! And so is Green!"

"Now, now, Blue. We've talked about this."

Blue inhaled sharply. "Yeah, I know, but this same, ol' song and dance is driving me nuts!"

"Just be patient. Next week will be here before you know it! Now, I believe you two deserve a quick rest before your daily lessons, yes?" They nodded. "Alright, then. Hit the showers. Dismissed!" They nodded and turned towards the exit. "Oh!" He had forgotten something! "Boys?" They turned around. "Happy birthday."

They each threw up a thumbs-up and walked back towards the shower. But when they left the room, Blue finally grimaced. He even let out a sigh of frustration. Green looked at him, but he remained silent. Another one of Blue's moods, no doubt.

As they showered, the twins stood in silence. Both weren't fans of water. Blue especially. He would usually make a quip or complain that the water was too… everywhere. Still, it did feel nice to be clean, and though he'd never admit it, standing under the warm, running water was where much of his thinking happened.

"I've seen that look before," Green finally said as he observed how focused on how much Blue was focused with his personal hygiene, which was to say that Blue was not focused.

"Then you know what I'm about to say," Blue retorted dryly as he grabbed the shampoo.

"Say it anyway. You'll feel better about yourself." Blue cocked an eye at Green, staring at him for a second or two. His brother's eyes were filled with a longing to listen. Sighing, he bowed his head.

"I don't understand why we can't just go out now! I'm getting sick 'n' tired of going through the simulations!" He slammed the tile wall. Then he shook his head and let out another sigh. "I don't understand how we're supposed to be helping people if we're still here. The way I see it, we're letting more people die in the city the longer we're in here. I'm ready. _We're_ ready."

"I know we're ready too, but the doctor still has the final say… as much as I hate to say it. We've only got another week until we can help Mobotropolis. Just try and ride it out."

The elder hedgehog took in yet another sharp breath and exhaled. He shook his head and shut the shower off, storming away in a huff. He was sick and tired of the same reasons and answers. When he left the shower, he vibrated himself quickly to shake off the water, drenching everything in the vicinity, especially the mirror.

He growled at the mirror knowing he was getting more worked up over nothing as per usual. He took another towel and dried off the mirror, and when he was done, he hunched over the countertop and stared at himself in disgust.

"Yes, yes, we know you're an ugly son-of-a-gun. Now move away from the mirror." Blue glared at his brother, who was now drying himself off. Blue eyed the towel he just dried the mirror off with and threw it at Green. However, his brother caught it. They had superhuman reflexes, after all. But Green saw the smirk on his brother's face and knew he'd be okay. He just needed some space.

"Good to have you back," Green said. "There anything else?"

"I… uh… might've had that dream again."

Now it was Green's turn to cock an eyebrow. "The one with the purple lady?"

Blue nodded. "She's just so… I feel like I know her from somewhere."

"Don't know what to say… except maybe that you're nuts."

"Screw you. You aren't the one who's had the same dream for years."

"Can't say I have. Come on. CREAM will want to give us our lesson."

Blue nodded and began walking out. "Race ya." Blue zoomed off for the room, leaving Green in the dust. Green followed, but Blue made it to the room first by a half-second.

The door to their room slid open, and there stood CREAM tapping her foot and not looking impressed. "How many times must I tell you troublemakers to not run in the halls?" she asked. "Wait. Don't answer that." The twins walked into the room, following her to the large-screen LED television where they took their seats on their respective beds. CREAM then went to a clear tube that suddenly had a cylindrical container. She took it out and opened it up, revealing a USB drive. The twins had been getting their lessons of the outside world via these USB drives as well as fighting techniques, stuff about how heralded the doctor was in Mobotropolis, et cetera. CREAM would always get her lessons the previous night, import the info on the drive, and put it in a container to be sent to the boys' room the moment that they came back from training. This was done in case CREAM wouldn't be available the next morning due to maintenance, which usually happened once every other month.

The robo-rabbit took the thumbdrive and inserted it into a port on the bottom side of the television, and it automatically turned on. There was a small menu screen for the lesson. CREAM then tossed Green the remote.

"You two know the drill. I'll be back to review with you boys later." With that, she left.

"Well," Blue began, "let's get this over with."

In the hallway, CREAM walked to the elevator and pressed the button. When the doors opened, the doctor was standing in it with his hands behind his back.

"Hello, dear!" he greeted.

"Salutations, doctor," she said as she entered.

"Which floor?"

"Just the next one up, please." He nodded and did as he was told. "Are you done with your inspection for today, sir?"

"Yes. I need to catch my helicopter now."

"Any business to attend to?"

"The mayor has requested to see me about what will happen on the 1st. Uh, y'know… just to clarify a thing or two."

"I know the boys are extremely excited."

"If not a little impatient."

"That too." The elevator stopped. "I'll be seeing you in a few days, doctor."

"Yep! See you next week!" CREAM exited the small room and headed down the hall. When the door closed, Robotnik sighed and shook his head. He then put his watch next to his mouth. "Is the meeting set?"

"YES, DOCTOR," a robotic voice replied. "THEY ARE AWAITING YOU IN THE CONTROL ROOM."

"Good. I'll be there momentarily."

After a few more moments of waiting, the door dinged again. Its doors opened, revealing the old oil rig's office. When it was properly used, the office was a place to monitor gauges and oil pressures from the derrick's olden days of oil drilling. Now it was renovated with several monitors and robots controlling the place. Security cameras in every hall and room from Green's and Blue's room to the harvesting facility underneath the sea's surface were all on display.

"WELCOME, DOCTOR," an orange robot greeted. "WE ONLY NEED TO GET YOU IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA."

"Are our faithful listeners waiting?" Robotnik asked as he walked with the mech.

"YES. THEY AWAIT YOUR PROPOSAL."

"Good. Will my face be seen?"

"NO, AND YOUR VOICE WILL BE ALTERED TO TRULY MASK YOUR IDENTITY. THERE IS ALSO NO CHANCE OF A HACK INTO OUR SYSTEMS."

"Good. Best to keep our plans under wraps… at least for now."

The robot that the doctor was walking with was given a small, black item. "HOLD STILL, DOCTOR." He obeyed and was outfitted with something that was slipped onto his red jacket: a microphone. "LET US RUN A TEST."

"Testing," the doctor said. However, his voice came out robotic-sounding and deep. "Testing 1, 2, 3."

"THE VOICE MODIFIER WORKS, DOCTOR."

"Yes, I can see that. Can we get this show on the road?"

"WE WILL BE LIVE IN 15 SECONDS."

"Alright, this is happening, my robots!" He was in front of a green grey screen. The lights were dimmed so that the only thing the cameras showed was his silhouette. Nothing else.

Suddenly, monitors around the control room lit up showing the doctor's audience. He kept some selective company… and it wasn't the good kind. The people shown were of every species and ethnicity. They were watching from all around the world. Warlords, guerillas, murderers, leaders of industry; every sort of despicable Mobian on hand was all ears.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," the doctor said with his synthesized voice.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

So I initially said that this chapter would be up on the 7th, but I also said that I would be uploading on Thursdays, and since the 6th is a Thursday, this part is technically a day early. Sorry about that.

Anyway, I really don't have much to say about this chapter. It tells us what the twins' life has been after the events of the 1st chapter. Each day has pretty much been the same for them. That being said, next Thursday, we'll go into more of what the other characters do in this story. And Robotnik sure is an awful git, isn't he?

Chapter 3 will be up on the 13th, so keep an eye out for it. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.

 **EDIT 2/9/19** : Re-edited the chapter for clarity and to remove redundancies in a few sentences. Word count went up from 4,276 to 4,351.


	3. The Storm

**CHAPTER III – THE STORM**

Buildings looking like their brick walls were rotting? Check. The stench of month-old garbage and feces permeating the area? Check. Broken and destroyed cars littering the street for blocks on end? Yeah, this was the place. The worst part of town was the perfect place for this meeting to go down. Not many people would dare come here unless they had a good reason. It was so bad that the police department willingly stayed away unless told otherwise. Ironic really. With how corrupt they were, one would think that an equally corrupt location would be their paradise.

The streets were wet, and thunder could be heard in the distance. An earlier shower left a few puddles along the roadways. Just a small drizzling compared to the frenzy that would be coming in an hour or two. Despite this, she needed to get this done before Mother Nature's water and lightshow came to town.

She was given a good tip from a reliable source that this was either going to be big or lead to something bigger. She wasn't stupid being here. She wanted this. She was one of the few good people in this city who weren't scared of the corruption and fear that clouded the city.

Stopping, she looked at the street address. 2002 Terrapins Street. And with a back alley to match, it had an idling van with its lights off. Yep, definitely the right place.

"Still no sign of whomever they're waiting for," she whispered.

"Just get to a safe vantage, A," replied a voiced in her ear.

She dug in her purse and found two gold bracelets with vibrantly colored amber sitting on half-inch gold plates. Slinging her purse around her body, she raised her arm toward the top of the adjacent building. Then she flicked her wrists.

PEW!

Suddenly, she whizzed through the air, right next to the building. She was quickly ascending, but the wind in her face didn't hinder her at all. Years of practice and field testing made her a master at using her wrist grapples. When she made it to the top, her speed was cut to keep her as quiet as possible. Having reached the ledge and climbed up it, she flicked her wrist again, and her grapples retracted back to within her bracelets.

"Made it, T," she said.

"A, tell me no one saw you."

She scanned the nearby area. "Not likely," she replied.

"Alright. How long before the client or clients show up?" She heard a car screeching it tires and revving its engine. "Never mind."

"You'd think that they'd be a little more discreet."

The loud car's bright lights were now visible as it turned the corner at a high speed, knocking over a trash can in the process. It finally slowed down as it reached the alleyway and turned into it. Huh… a tan license plate with a black lettering… and a black star on the left side of it. A police car. The lady walked over to the nearby edge, getting her vantage point.

"We good, T?" she asked.

"Just need to zoom in, and we'll be good to go." Her contacts did the work. Impressive pieces of engineering, they were. The contact lenses she had on were built for more than her eyesight. Custom hardware had been installed into them to do a great many things for her line of work. Zooming in and out was just one of the long list of features.

"Perfect. Let's see if we can identify anyone." The van's backend double-doors creaked open and outstepped an ivory polar bear with a green scarf as well as a green bird with a red handkerchief around his neck. "Bark and Bean," she said.

"Hmm, a bit odd that they're _here_. Usually they're—."

"I know, T."

"So, if they're here…."

"Then this probably isn't a deal."

The opposite car's lights finally turned off as a gruff panda walked out of the passenger's side door. From the driver's side was an off-duty lion cop. The panda was bare-chested (no pun intended) and scarred all over, but his lower garments were more… eastern than anything else. This man probably associated himself with one of Eggman's "trading partners" in places like the Dragon Kingdom, Chun-nan, or even the island nation of Adabat. If she was going to find out who his boss was, taking a good, hard look at his outfit might yield a clue or two.

Bark and Bean stood there waiting as they slowly walked towards them.

"Evening, sensei, ( _ **Bean the Dynamite: Robin Lord Taylor**_ )" Bean mocked. "And officer." The cop tipped his cap.

"Do not mock me, fowl," the panda growled.

"Is your big man ready? ( _ **Bark the Polar Bear: Bill Fagerbakke**_ )" Bark asked.

"He damn well should be. I must admit, I was expecting to see the Eggman himself tonight."

"He has other business to deal with." Bark then walked back to the van and returned with a briefcase.

"Now… what've you got there?" she asked silently from above.

Bark positioned the briefcase accordingly and opened it.

Um… WOW.

The stoic panda's face smirked for a second as his eyes darted to the duo.

"How much is that?" he forced out.

"The tip of the iceberg, sensei," Bean said. "There's a lot more of this waiting… assuming we're still on for Saturday."

The panda chuckled. "For the biggest deal between our bosses' organizations? Heh, even my sensei is coming in personally to oversee this venture."

The cop, Bean, and Bark were silent for a moment.

"He's coming to Mobotropolis?" Bean asked.

"You have a problem with that?" Bean and Bark looked at each other.

"No," Bark said, "We just weren't told until now. How long has it been since he's stepped foot in this town?"

"I don't see how that's relevant to our meeting."

"C'mon, nitwits," A said to herself, "Who's your boss?"

"And officer?" Bean asked. "Everything will be ready so our… dignitaries will be comfortable this Saturday?"

"You're kidding me, right?" he retorted with a sound of disbelief in his voice.

"No need to get defensive. Just wanna make sure given the recent info we just got."

"Well, there's no need to check in. We'll be set." The lion sighed and look down at the ground as he tried to get a mark off his right shoe with his left one, but he saw something odd. The rain left a puddle, and despite there being not a lot of light in the alley, he could make out something. It looked like….

He pulled out his gun and pointed upwards.

"FREEZE!"

"Busted!" A said as she ran away.

"Surround the building!" The lion's growl stretched across the alley, making it almost sound like thunder. Those with the officer went around and kept an eye on the rooftops should their fly on the wall bounce from building-to-building. Nothing yet. "Does anyone have eyes on him?"

"No!" they each yelled.

"Keep looking!" The lion tried to use his hearing to get a beat on his eavesdropper, but nothing was all he got. He could've sworn he saw a glimpse of… pink?

"I thought you said there weren't going to be any snoops!" the panda blared.

"Will you shut it?!" Bean barked back.

They were arguing. This was her chance. She had a running start and leapt off. The building she was gunning for was a fair bit shorter than the one she was on. Good thing it had thick chimney built onto it. It was prime grappling material.

"There!" the lion said. "There he… what the…?" He couldn't believe his eyes as it looked like this person was… web-swinging? Like Spider-Man? No, that wasn't possible… right? But it didn't matter what his eyes were telling him. This person couldn't be allowed to leave alive, but it was going to be hard catching up to someone this quick.

The group had caught up with the officer and ran with him. "That guy's up there!" the lion said as he pointed up and to the right.

"They can't tell I'm a girl?" she asked under her breath as she dug through her bag. "C'mon, where is it? There it is!"

"They don't need to I.D. you, A," T replied.

"Kinda why I'm getting it out!"

As she zipped from rooftop to rooftop, she was beginning to lose them. The lion's predatory senses could only do so much. "Right!" he said, and the group followed. "Left! Left! Right! Left! R—. Aw, shit."

When they made their last turn, they were on a busy street. There were a few dozen people here from the area. The few cops that had been over to this part of town would semi-regularly try and stop these illegal sales (given that they viewed this place as competition). A real shady market with some real shady characters of every race, species, gender, and age.

"Where'd he go?" Bark asked.

"I didn't get a good look, but I think we're supposed to be tracking a chick," the lion replied.

"Jeez, could you narrow it down? There are dozens of people here!"

"Bark, keep your voice down. Look for anything odd."

"Too late," the panda said.

"Just look!"

The quartet split up. They looked and looked carefully for anyone out of the ordinary, but this was the place where _everything_ looked out of the ordinary, and the yellowish light coming from the street lights was not helping their cause.

The lion panned slowly to the right. Disgusting, filthy people. He hated how dirty they were. It wasn't their fault that they had to live like this. People like the Eggman made sure things stayed this way.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a lady flip up her hood. She began to walk away from the market. "Guys!" he said as he pointed at the lady. They each got the hint and ran toward her. The lion was leading the charge. Just as she was about to turn the corner, he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. "There you are!"

He violently ripped her hood off.

Uh-oh. She wasn't pink.

She had black fur with red streaks, her quills went down, then violently curled back up. Her muzzle was well-tanned. The top of her buttoned shirt was slightly open, revealing a thick tuft of white fur instead an obvious rack. And she had blood red eyes that were filled with fear and pointed outward on each end (making her look mad 24/7).

"RAPE! RAPE!" she yelled as she violently ripped her arm away from the lion and backed away. "Get away from me, you pervert!"

"You… wait…," the officer said, terribly confused. He was so sure….

"HEY!" a man from the market yelled. The group turned to see a hulking iguana walking toward them with a wicked eye, and it was straight at the lion. "You best be leavin' that lil' miss alone, dude."

"Back off!" the lion said as he whipped out his police badge.

"Man, what's a pig like you doin' here? Don't y'all be tellin' me that y'all is shuttin' us down! Now you best get a move on, sir."

"We're not here for a turf war, 'dude.' We're looking for a woman. A pink woman. Have you seen anyone like that?"

"Man, why the flippin' hell would I tell a disrespectin' fuck-nugget like you? Don't know if y'all've noticed, but almost every bitch here looks like they could show a lil' pink!"

"HEY!" one of the women from the crowd screamed.

"I said 'almost every bitch,' bitch!" He then turned back to the cop. "You's the one that's grabbin' random women like you's a pimp!"

"I. Am. No. Pimp," the lion growled. "At least I have class." The debate was getting more heated. More market shoppers were coming to the lizard's aid. This could turn ugly at the drop of hat.

"You's the who be grabbin' her like she's yo' property!"

"It was a—!"

" _Enough!_ " the black and red lady yelled, silencing everyone. "Mister… Iguana, sir? I appreciate you sticking up for me, but the last thing I want is violence tonight." The iguana stared at her, but he conceded and shook his head. "Thank you. And officer?" The lion looked at her.

SLAP!

The force made him double over in pain, giving the shoppers, and the lion's cronies, a reason to laugh hysterically.

"Look at me!" she yelled at him. He did so while rubbing his left cheek. "Don't you _ever_ do that to a woman again! You think that because you're a cop that it makes you powerful?! Think again, punk! I demand an apology!"

"I was on official police business!"

WHAM!

He doubled over again. That one wasn't a slap. She had a wicked southpaw. Now the lion was pissed. It took all the strength of the panda, Bean, and Bark to hold him back. Hell, the iguana even shoved him down when he was starting to get free. He did her an even bigger solid by pinning him down.

"I'd apologize, boy," the lizard hissed. "She got a mean left hook."

He growled at the lizard, but sighed and looked at the lady. "I'm sorry."

"'I'm sorry,' what?" she asked.

"Oh, come on!"

"Do it," the iguana hissed again.

"Fine. I'm sorry for grabbing you. You obviously aren't the person we were tracking. Is that good enough?"

"It's crude, but yes." She turned to the lizard. "You can let him go now, big boy." He obeyed and let him free. "Thanks," she said as she planted a kiss on his cheek, making him blush.

"Y'know, I can think of another way of you thankin'—."

"Don't push it," she said. Then she turned his attention to the lion. "Have a nice night," she spat.

She began to walk away when she heard a few footsteps coming from behind her. Lo and behold, the lion had dared to take a step towards her when she snapped her head around to catch him. She calmly smiled and dug in her purse and showed off something that made him and his associates get real uneasy: a can of mace.

She just smirked and walked off, rounding the nearest corner. She stayed on her path for a few more blocks, then turning left.

After a series of turns to make sure she wasn't followed, she came across a parking garage that had been riddled with all kinds of colorful—even well-designed—art and calligraphy. Too bad a lot of it was profane and unsuitable for children's eyes. Such a shame. All this talent, but they decide to waste it on stupid stuff like this.

Her boots echoed in the halls of the garage. She used to be nervous about doing this, but now? Not as much. She gained her street smarts from this section of town alone.

She hopped into her silver Camaro and locked the doors. She let out a sigh and a nervous chuckle. "Wow," she said.

"A, have I ever told you that it's a pleasure to watch you get out of jams like that?" T asked.

"Yes, yes you have." She then flipped down a mirror from above. "I'm taking off the camouflage. Did the footage come in clear?"

"Doesn't it always?"

She placed her hand on her white tuft of hair and pressed.

CLICK!

As she looked at her reflection, she saw how her quills went back to being straight down. Her fur went from black and red to hot pink. Her eyes went from blood red to jade green. Her muzzle from tan to pale. Her pointed-out eyes reverted to the usual round shape. Finally, her entire body tingled. All that physical transformation, and yet, it still didn't hurt. T… what would she do without him?

"Remind me again how this doesn't hurt?"

"I've told you 39 times, but you can't be bothered to pay attention!"

"Because you make everything sound so technical and advanced," she said as she took the false fur off and put it back into her purse. Next, she took out her specially-made contacts and buttoned up her shirt. "I hate having to do that."

"Doing what?"

"Buttoning down my shirt when I have to put the fur on. It makes me feel…."

"Promiscuous?"

"I was going to say 'revealed,' but that works too."

"A? May I ask you something?"

"You don't have to ask for my permission on that. Spit it out."

"There has to be a safer way to—."

"No, there isn't. We've been over this. We have too much at stake." She paused for a moment and sighed. Then, she took out her wallet and opened it up, revealing a good time from long ago. "Besides, we owe it to them." She snapped it shut. "I don't want others to have to deal with this anymore. The only way to get this city on the right track is to do what we do. You and I both know that."

T sighed. "Yeah, I do."

"Good, I don't wanna stuff it down your throat, but—."

"Amy, I get it," he snapped. "Just please come home before the storm gets here."

She sighed. "On my way now. Make sure it gets to Sal. ( _ **Amy Rose: Cindy Robinson**_ )"

"I know. Hurry home."

* * *

It was that time of the night again. She had to make the usual rounds. Another long day, but in a week, it would be all worth it. She hit the switch to slide the twins' door open. In there, she saw the duo already snoozing the night away. They would do this on a regular basis since they enjoyed their sleep. Head to bed at 9ish, wake up at 8's bells the next morning. All that time for sleep and they woke up tired. The clock read 10:54.

"Good night, boys," CREAM said as she closed the door—soundproofing the room—and headed to her charging site. "I bet beds are very comfortable." She had never slept in one, given that she didn't need (physical) sleep, but still she wondered how they felt.

Her nights were the same drill: get the next day's lesson, import it onto a USB drive, put it in the container that would go to the boys' room, and then spend the rest of the night charging her batteries.

When she arrived in her room, CREAM went straight to the USB outlet that was on the far wall. She sat on her bench and pressed a button on the base of her neck. It activated a mechanism that opened a door on her stomach. In it were all kinds of extendable cords from USB to HDMI. They were in there for various connectivity reasons.

She pulled out her USB cord and plugged it into the wall. Instantly, she was linked in to the base's computer. With it, she was now able to access virtually everything from (C:) to (F:) drives and DVDs if one were in any of the base's other computers.

She went throughout the mainframe's (C:) drive and virtually went through the correct folders, finally finding the one titled "SONIC PROGRAM." Every night, Dr. Robotnik would pull together the necessary data for CREAM to import onto a flashdrive to give to the twins. Wash, rinse, and repeat for over two decades now. Man, how time flies.

She was about to begin the downloading process, when a loud BOOM rattled the base. The vibration caused CREAM to fall over but not disconnect the cord. As she got back up, she said, "There must be a bad storm going over us."

Indeed, there was.

Outside, the winds were near tropical storm levels as blankets—not sheets—of rain poured onto the base. Lightning crackled like fireworks and the thunder was positively booming. Anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in it would surely be taken away by the subsequent flash flooding (provided they were on land in the first place). It was the kind of storm that seemed like it could change lives for better or worse.

CRACK! CRACK! BOOOOOOOOOM!

It wasn't just getting dangerously close; the base was standing in the epicenter of the raging wonder.

CRAAAAAAAAAACK! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Lights out.

CREAM had to recalibrate her cybernetic eyes to try and take in more light but to no avail. The room was pitch black like a child's nightmare. It didn't scare her. The boom, on the other hand, did.

"Wonderful," she said. "Did the file at least transfer?"

She looked into her own programming, specifically in her "Downloads" section and saw nothing.

"Power's out _and_ the lesson didn't completely download." Seeing as there was no use in continuing until the power was restored, she reached for the cord to unplug it.

WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR!

The base's backup generators kicked in.

CREAM's room suddenly lit up again. "Thank Chaos. It's—."

ZAAAAAP!

CREAM's internal processors froze for a moment as information crashed into her systems like roaring waters down a river of rapids. Like her processors, she crashed to floor again. So much knowledge, so little time. She finally downloaded all the information and regained her unique form of robotic consciousness. If she were a real animal or human, she would be suffering from one hell of a headache.

She shook her metal head and said while standing back up, "Wha… What happened? How long was I out?" It occurred to her what had transpired. Her USB cord was still plugged into the system when the backup generators turned on. Because she was still connected, all the base's information was now in her memory logs. Knowledge overload leads to a robot's version of a headache. It took CREAM a moment or two to finally get her bearings because of it.

"Okay… let's try this again." She went back to what she was supposed to be doing: get the twins their next day's lesson. She began to search through the system again, but as she scrolled through them, there were a few folders that she had never seen before. "Where'd these come—?"

She stopped dead in her tracks when her scrolling lead to something familiar… and something new. The folder names were similar, but different in spelling. Within her robotic brain, she saw the folder that read "SONIC PROGRAM," but she also saw the folder below it that read "SONIC PROJECT."

"What's 'SONIC PROJECT?'" She internally debated giving into the curiosity that Robotnik had programmed her with, but she also had to give the boys their lesson. She opened the SONIC PROGRAM folder and saw that everything was still there, and uploaded the lesson. She backed out of the folder where her curiosity came to forefront and begged her peek. They were so closely named. Maybe because she was plugged into the system when it went live again that it doubled the information on the server? No, that couldn't be. Otherwise the second folder would read "SONIC PROGRAM - Copy."

She groaned. "Stupid curiosity." Her choice was made.

As she went into the folder and looked through all the information….

OH.

OH, MY.

NO.

NO!

CHAOS, LET THIS BE A LIE! PLEASE!

The more she read the content, the worse she felt. Her guilt, her sadness, the horror of it all! She read faster and faster, but it never got any better. The inhumanity of her creator!

This… this whole Sonic Program…. It was all a lie. The doctor. The Program. The training. The lessons.

It had reached a fever pitch in 1991, and in a week, another one would begin. All those lives… lost. Those families that were ripped apart and silenced forever! And the only two survivors were sleeping soundly down the hall.

They were in grave danger. Not just them, but the whole world!

Her hands grasped her mouth as she reflected on the horrible truth that she now knew. In a matter of seconds, she knew everything. She unwittingly did her part perfectly. And now, she hated herself for it.

"What have I done?" she whispered weakly.

* * *

The robots in the control room were in a short frenzy when the power went off, but they resumed their usual duties when it came back on. The precious cargo down below was fine. The twins were sound asleep. Everything was right again until an alarm sounded.

"STATUS UPDATE," the robot in control said.

"CONFIRMED SECURITY BREACH," one said.

"WHERE IS IT?"

"ABOARD THE BASE. TRIANGULATING SOURCE NOW." The droid furiously went through all the necessary security channels. "SOURCE LOCATED." It was then put it on the screen for all to see. The camera in the room panned to the right and titled down. It zoomed in a shell-shocked robotic rabbit.

"What have I done?" she asked.

Suddenly, her face lit up. Her eyes darted to the camera. She was still plugged into the system and therefore the cameras. Her look of heartbreak turned into a look of dreaded fear. "Oh, Chaos."

"ALERT THE DOCTOR! AND VANQUISH THE BREACH!"

* * *

CREAM knew they were coming. They would be here soon. CREAM's very life flashed before her eyes. She began to panic, but quickly stopped. She had to do something. She had to do something quickly. What were her options?

Tell the boys? No, they'd just be killed on the spot. Plug herself back into the system and remotely lock the door? No, their security protocols and hacking software would get them in the room in a flash.

Time was running out. Quicker than she would have liked. Wait… time… that's it!

She grabbed another flashdrive and plugged it into her system. She began to download, but quickly shut it off. "No," she said. "It'll take too long to download it all." She knew that this was her end. She had lived as good a life as she could've being a robotic shut-in. There was no way to elude her captors. But the doctor had to be stopped. The boys were the only ones capable of doing it. They had their free will, unlike the abominations residing in the depths.

She cycled through the information and narrowed it down to the most important of details. There was still a lot of content, and it would still take a few minutes to download. The robots were going to be at the door in less than that. Her plan was now clear. But first, she needed to buy some time.

* * *

The fat man's red pajamas were made of the rarest silk. Smooth, clean, dapper (or at least as dapper as PJs can be), and soft like a teddy bear.

As he stumbled toward his bed, he set a glass of water on the nearby table. Mahogany wood. Royally-colored walls. A grand bed made from the strongest of timbers. The curtains around it. The most lavish pillows. The softest blankets. The comfiest mattress. Yes, he was living the life of luxury.

As he dipped into his bed, the phone rang.

"What now?" he muttered. Robotnik scooted himself next to the phone and picked it up. "Dr. Ivo Robotnik."

"DOCTOR!" the robot screamed. "SECURITY BREACH AT THE MAIN BASE!"

No… No! His plans!

"What?!" the doctor screamed. "How did this happen?!"

"WE DO NOT KNOW, SIR. ALL WE KNOW IS THAT CREAM NOW KNOWS ABOUT THE PLANS."

"Stop her! I'm on my way now! Make sure she's still in one piece when I get there!"

"BUT DOCTOR! THE STORM IS—."

"I don't care!" Ivo slammed the receiver down, but picked it back up and began dialing. "Get me a chopper to the rig _now_!"

* * *

CREAM burst out of the room and cut to the right. She began sifting through the most crucial of info and formatted it as she ran. She knew that they would be in hot pursuit, using the cameras to get a beat on her. Using hew newly-acquired info, she smashed every camera that was laid out, even the more hidden ones.

She took one turn too many as she happened upon the robot posse. "Wrong turn!"

"GET HER!"

She stopped quickly and ran away from them, finding a staircase to run up. Now on Floor 2, she quickly checked the progress on her downloading.

20%. Estimated time left: 16 minutes.

"You can do this, CREAM," she told herself.

The posse was hot on her heels. She booked it again and ran blindly. She ducked in and out of halls and rooms, trying throw them off, but she made one wrong turn into a very spacious room: the training room. The other end of the room opened and revealed… aw, crap.

CREAM skidded to a stop and began to turn around when another robotic group came in from the main entrance. She began to back away slowly, trying to mind the two groups. She was in a pinch. There were at least two dozen robots in here, and some had weapons in hand.

45%. Estimated time left: 11 minutes.

"THE DOCTOR WISHES TO SEE SPEAK TO YOU," one of them said as it came up to her.

"Tell him, 'Not yet.'" She grabbed the robot and tossed him into the group behind her. She was quick to follow that up with a hard swing to another. That was when the entire group mobbed her. Too bad for them that this was the same robo-rabbit that helped personally train the boys. She's had over 20 years to learn their moves and apply them in combat.

They each took their chance, but each of them missed their swings. She countered, she destroyed weapons, she did the only thing a cornered person could do in her situation: fight like hell. However, she knew damn well that she had to be patient with her counters and swings. One-by-one, they went down. Her hits were precise. They were critical. However, she couldn't dodge every attack. Some hit her in the back. Others hit the face. Even one or two blows found her midsection. Those were the critical ones since the drive was still in there, although it was still undamaged for the time being. With a handful left, they all charged her, but she leapt straight up, and they ran into each other. She landed on the group with a mighty thud, destroying her attackers. She was not without some damage, but she would be okay. The flashdrive was still intact and downloading.

80% Estimated time left: 4 minutes.

Almost there.

CREAM dashed out of the room, not wanting a second wave to come in and challenge her. Right on cue, another robot posse was heard running through the halls. She ducked into the staircase and went back down the Floor 1. Luckily, the lack of working security cameras worked to her advantage as there was no sound or sign of another entourage.

She made her way back to her room and checked back in on her progress.

97% Estimated time left: 36 seconds.

She had to time this just right. She was just inside the room, outside of that room's camera's field of vision.

" _C'mon, c'mon!_ " she thought, wanting it to fully download.

Download complete.

She took out the flashdrive from her internal USB drive. She then destroyed the camera in the room despite it giving away her position.

What CREAM was about to do next was something that she only had one shot at.

"THIS IS MISSION CONTROL. TARGET IS IN HER QUARTERS. THE DOCTOR IS EN ROUTE."

The horde was closing in. They wouldn't be made fools this time. The first of the gang made it there, banging on the door.

"CREAM, YOU HAVE GOT ONE CHANCE TO SURRENDER PEACEFULLY."

"No! You shouldn't be here yet!" she screamed fearfully.

The leader turned to his following droids. "3, 2, 1."

POW! POW! POW!

The door was forced off its hinges and slammed to the floor.

"NO!" Cream screamed as she tried to put the flashdrive into the container. Robots charged and tackled her, forcing her to drop the drive.

"WHAT IS THIS?" The droid picked it up and looked at CREAM. "YOU WERE PLANNING ON TELLING THE BOYS?"

"No!" she panicked. "That's not what it is!"

"REALLY?" the droid asked not believing her.

It dropped the drive and raised its heavy leg. "No!" she screamed. "Please don't!"

SMASH!

"Nooooo! What have you done?!"

"TAKE HER TO THE ROOM!" it said as they began to haul her away. She fought, but she was restrained. "AND MAKE SURE CREAM IS STILL ONLINE WHEN THE DOCTOR GETS HERE. HE WILL WANT A WORD."

As they forced her through the facility, she stared blankly at her room as it faded from her view. She came that close. _That_ close only for them to smash it. CREAM wore a face of hopelessness all too well.

Soon enough, they went into a room closed by double doors. The twins had never seen the inside of this 2nd floor room before, and for good reason. This was where all the defective robots came to get hauled away, scrapped out, and rebuilt. It was always a pretty full room considering this was where the robots that sparred with Green and Blue went after the twins' successful training exercises. Broken, huddled masses looking like they had just gone through a blender. Some leaked oil, making it look like blood. And now, she was next.

The robots that dragged her threw her onto the scrap-laden floor as she landed with a grunt. Then a pair of robots grabbed each of her arms and held her down. "THE DOCTOR WILL BE HERE IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS. HE IS FULLY AWARE OF EVERY DETAIL OF THE SITUATION."

Sure enough, the sounds of helicopter blades filled the room as a THUD was heard from above. He was here. The sound of his footsteps drawing closer made her feel uneasy, but she got past it as she was now prepared to face him.

The door swung open. She could only see him differently now. He was a liar, a criminal, and a murderer. CREAM could only see him as that. Nothing else.

He walked stoically towards her, fixated on her contempt-stricken face. When he got close enough, he kneeled in front of her. The two stared each other down for a moment, waiting for someone to speak first.

"How could you?!" she pleaded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he fibbed.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Ivo! Or should I call you 'Eggman?'" That made him scowl. "All the voices you've silenced, the damage you've done to the city! Why, doctor? Why?!" He stood up and remained silent. He never broke eye contact with her as he looked down on her with disappointment. "Aren't you going to say something?!"

He bent over to get right in her face.

"The only thing that I will say, CREAM, is that I'm doing this for the greater good of _all_ of planet's people."

"By slaughtering millions?! By killing the twins?!"

"I think they would be proud of the part that they've played in this," he retorted smugly.

"They would look at you the same I do! They'd only see the thing that you've told them to fight! You're a monster!"

"And so are the people I plan to get rid of. Trust me, they'll be better off dead."

"I guess you're right… it'll seem like a mercy killing with what you've got planned!"

He didn't like that remark.

SMACK!

His fist hurt from hitting skin to metal, but to see her yelp as she fell to floor was well worth it in his eyes. The robots quickly picked her back up held her down. "I am the only one who should be in control… and I will be, CREAM." He sighed. "There's nothing that can stop this. This is for the best."

"Someone _will_ stop you," she spat back.

"You've seen the projections. I think you know that's not true." He quickly opened her stomach and put his hands on a switch… and she knew exactly which switch it was. "I'm sorry about, CREAM. I really am, but I can't let you blab to the boys, now can I?"

"Please! Stop this!"

"The next time I see you, you'll be a paperweight. Goodbye."

"Noooooo!" she said as she shook… but it was all in vain.

CLICK!

"Noooooo-errrrrrrrrrr!"

Her arms went limp. Her body flopped to the ground, the same look of horror still plastered on it. One of the droids picked her up and set her off to the side. That frozen face made the doctor uncomfortable.

"DOCTOR, WHAT ABOUT THE TWINS? SHOULDN'T THEY BE DESTROYED?"

"Heh. No. Not yet. CREAM finding out hasn't altered our plans in the slightest. Everything will happen on schedule."

"AND WHAT SHOULD WE TELL THE BOYS CONCERNING CREAM?"

"Just tell them that she took a turn for the worse when the lightning struck the facility when she was charging."

"YES, DOCTOR."

With that, the robots left to return to their stations. Eggman stayed behind and looked at CREAM one last time.

"Y'know, CREAM, you have the perfect face for someone who's going to get melted down."

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Now what has CREAM found? If she had to get had to fend of numerous robots, then it had to be something important!

And then there's Amy. She sure knows how to make an exit, doesn't she? In all honesty, Amy was one of my favoritie characters to write because of how badass she is here. She'll play a bigger role down the road, but you won't find out more until next Thursday (7/20).

As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.

 **EDIT 2/18/19:** Cleaned up a few instances of missing words in addition to general editing for concision. Word count went up 6,200 from 6,054.


	4. Shocking Developments

**CHAPTER IV – SHOCKING DEVELOPMENTS**

 **FRIDAY, JUNE 24** **TH** **, 2016**

 _ **EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH! EHHH!**_

Blue groaned as another day had come. Another day of training. Another day of learning. Just for one more week.

The twins got out of bed, and Green was the one to stop the horrendous alarm. They were quick to stretch it out and get limbered up.

The door opened.

"Mornin', CREAM," said Blue as his face down while stretching out his thighs. "What's on—?"

"CREAM IS NOT IN TODAY."

The twins looked up as one of the facility's many robots strolled in. Obviously, they were very confused.

"Hey, where's CREAM?" asked Green. "It's not her usual time for maintenance."

"WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU TWO THAT CREAM BLEW A FEW CIRCUITS WHEN CHARGING LAST NIGHT."

That was an odd explanation, and the boys had equally odd faces in response. "How'd that happen?"

"WHEN CREAM WAS CHARGING, A BOLT OF LIGHTNING STRUCK THE FACILITY. THE POWER SURGE CAUSED CREAM TO HAVE AN OVERLOAD OF POWER IN HER SYSTEM, THEREFORE CAUSING A FEW CIRCUITS TO BLOW UP."

"But… she'll be alright?" Blue asked with notable concern.

"NO WORRIES. EGG—. SORRY, _DR. ROBOTNIK_ CAME HERE EARLY THIS MORNING TO PERSONALLY PICK HER UP. HE WILL BE WORKING ON GETTING HER BACK TO YOU. IT MAY NOT BE UNTIL AFTER YOU TWO ARE INTRODUCED TO MOBOTROPOLIS, BUT SHE WILL BE FIXED. THE DOCTOR GAVE HIS WORD."

The look of relief came over the boys. Thank goodness.

"That's good to hear. We're looking forward to see her come back. Green, let's train."

"He called Robotnik an egg. He kind of looks like one."

* * *

Sweltering. Everyone walking to their morning occupations were sweating buckets. Suits dripping like leaky faucets, the water running off them akin to a rushing waterfall. If they had any corporate meetings today, they'd surely need to change their attire at least three times by noon. The humidity would only jump as the day went on. The weather: sunny with sparse clouds and a high of 89, a low of 74, and humidity reaching 92%.

The first cool drink Amy had was exhausted in no less than ten minutes when she picked up the java. Yes, last night's storm was a doozy, and now the city would have to suffer with the stifling humidity for the next few days.

She was quick to whip into her spot in the parking garage as well as enter the building, but she was careful in carrying her purse and the precious cargo, all four cups of them. Unfortunately, the building's A/C unit was out, meaning the place was just as stuffy as it was out in the sunshine. Add in the fact that heat rises and her office was a few floors up… woof.

The inside had changed tremendously over the years. Marvelous paintings lined the walls from years ago were mostly barren with white marble—sans the large TVs with the company's programming on—and the once-carpeted floor had black, marbled tiles. The room's main desk was also made out of white marble with grey marble on its edges. Behind the desk were two things: a painting of not-forgotten hedgehogs and a female wolf in her late 20s chatting on the phone. Chaos, the wolf chose the wrong day to wear makeup. The sweat coming off her made it run like a cross country runner. Hell, she looked just as exhausted as a cross country runner.

"Yeah, yeah," the wolf said into the phone, obviously exhausted and done with the conversation. "I'll see you later." With that, hung up and groaned. "Ugh! Why does it have to be so stinking hot?!"

"Because the A/C isn't working," said the pink lady. Amy looked down at her coworker with sympathetic eyes and a smirk. "And because the gods hate you."

"Oh, well that's nice to know! ( _ **Lupe the Wolf: Demi Lovato**_ )" the wolf snapped back. "Sorry for being snippy, _Rosa_. I just hate this heat. Do you know how much harder it is for me to deal with this because—?"

"Because of your thick fur. I've heard it before."

"Sorry if I sound like a broken record. I just want this to end! I hate this sticky crap!" she screamed as she went face down on the desk like a crabby child.

PLUNK!

Lupe looked up and saw that a plastic cup had appeared on her desk. The condensation coming from it… the ice cubes… the rich, brown liquid in between them! The wolf looked up at Amy to see if this holy liquid really was in front her or if this was some sick mirage. The pink lady nodded with a smile.

"Double-shot of mocha and caramel?"

"With a little Irish crème thrown in. Just the way you like it."

The wolf chuckled in disbelief. "You… You are my new favorite person for the next ten minutes," Lupe said as she grabbed it and began sucking on its straw. Her face went from desperate to blissful in an instant. Her tail's wagging was the icing on the cake.

"It's my job to serve the people," Amy mocked. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

Amy left her friend to her euphoria as she turned right towards the elevators. She got in when prompted and hit the button. Her ride was quick as she got off and followed the necessary halls to find her office. She unlocked the door and went in, admiring the view of the city. From her angle, she should see the southwest part of Knothole as well as Amusement Mile. The building was in the burgh's northern highlands, so you could see everything in the city if you had the right angle.

She plopped in her chair, set down the drinks, and booted her PC up. It wasn't long until she quickly got a phone call.

"Wonderful," she thought out loud. Upon picking it up, she said, "Amy Rose's office. Amy Rose speaking."

"Hey, Amy. It's Lupe."

"You're not done with your coffee already, are you?"

"No, that's not why I'm calling. You have… visitors."

Oh, goodie.

Amy sighed. "The usual suspects?"

"In more ways than one," Lupe said with a chuckle.

"Alright, send 'em on up. They know the drill."

"Right away, _Rosa_."

After hanging up, Amy just rubbed her temples and groaned. She should've known that _they_ would be here. Probably about the previous night, no doubt. She took a sip of her second frosty beverage of the morning as she opened her computer's account and waited for her visitors.

SLAM!

Amy casually looked up as her door flew open and loudly collided with the wall. She took another sip of her drink as she watched two people enter her decently-sized office. The first one was a small female chinchilla that had naturally yellow fur, but green chest fur. She was the subject of an experimental medical procedure that saved her life and was sponsored by Robotnik Enterprises. The process called "cyberization" forced her to live with cables and wires running through her body. But she was inside her hulking blue, red, gold, and silvery exosuit that was no doubt air-conditioned unlike the office. Add in the fact that she was the city's corrupt police commissioner, and you had one intimidating—and unstable—chick.

Her partner followed behind. She didn't have an exosuit. This chick—or "whore" as Amy often called her—was a tall, red echidna with blue eyes, a cybernetic dreadlock and a tight, black leather suit that must've smelled something fierce in this heat (it wasn't a thought Amy relished). As if she didn't look any more like a dominatrix, she had a matching bullwhip to go along with her twin pistols. If there was one person that was more corrupt than the police commissioner, it was her. That cocky smirk of hers always made her blood boil. Oh, how Amy hated her. They had history, and none of it was remotely good.

"Please, come in," she dryly said. "I suppose I should say, 'Good morning,' to the both you. Good morning, Commissioner Thunderbolt." Then she turned to the echidna who could've been called a weasel. "Lien-Dork," she spat.

"How many times do I have to tell you, _Rascal_ , that my name is 'Lien- _Da_?! ( _ **Lien-Da the Echidna: Susan Eisenburg**_ )'" she spat right back.

"And how many times do I have to tell you and your bosslady that I am not the Rascal?!" Amy shot back with rage laced in her words.

"Stop denying it, Amy!"

"I only deny because the Rascal isn't me!"

"Enough! ( _ **Thunderbolt the Chinchilla: Pauley Perrette**_ )" Thunderbolt screamed, turning to Lien-Da. "We didn't come in here to argue. We came in to ask Miss Rose some questions."

She groaned. "Fine, I'm sorry," she forced out.

"Good. Now…," Thunderbolt said as she turned to Amy. "Sorry about that. Now, can you please answer some questions, missy?" she asked as a robotic hand rested itself on Amy's desk. Despite her best-sounding tone of voice, Amy could read her like a book.

"No need to play 'good cop' with me, Bolty. You guys and gals at the department are as clean as public toilets."

The commissioner chuckled. "I should let you know that our Internal Affairs department is looking into several officers as we speak."

"Uh-huh, sure. And I'm Beyoncé. Just cut to the chase. Both of you."

"Suits me," Lien-Da said. "Where you last night?"

"At my house with my brother," Amy said. "I was busy editing a few stories for this morning's Gazette."

"That so? Are you sure you weren't at 2002 Terrapins Street last night?"

"Lien-Dunce, I think I'm smart of enough to not be in the roughest part of South Res, especially at night."

"It's Lien- _Da_!Now, were you there?"

"I was not. I'm sure with you being an investigator and all, you could've figured that out based on my choice of words."

"Pfft. Always the know-it-all editor."

"I kind of have to be. It's my job."

"Were you, or were you not on the rooftop of 2002 Terrapins Street late last night trespassing on someone's property? We had an officer in the area last night as well as two other witnesses, one Detective Roland Myers, one Bark the Polar Bear, and one Bean the Dynamite."

"Myers? As in one of the dirtiest cops on Eggman's payroll? The same Detective Myers that's been documented many times by the Acorn Media Group and the Rascal as being someone who deals drugs within the force? _That_ Roland Myers? And then you throw in Bean and Bark who've also been seen distributing drugs as well as guns from the Mobotropolis Sanitation Department?"

"Roland is being investigated by Internal Affairs right now," Thunderbolt said. "And we're aware of the allegations against Bark and Bean."

"All the more reason to question your sources. Now, for the last time, I was not in South Res last night. You can ask my brother. He's a reliable witness. Can I get back to work now?"

The echidna stepped forward and got in Amy's face. "You wanna know what I think, Rose?"

"You think that I'm a smug lady with an alibi for every one of the Rascal's appearances. You think that I am the Rascal, when I've denied it every time."

"And I also know that you are full of it. Now…," she said as she reached down to her right hip… the very hip that held her black whip. Amy saw it and just raised an eyebrow.

"Oooooh, _kinky_ ," Amy teased. "But I'm not interested in paying for a cheap whore who's into role-play."

"I. Am. _Warning_ you, Rose."

Amy turned to Thunderbolt. "Nice company you keep around. I should expect nothing less from Eggman's two favorite lackeys."

"I would watch what you say, Miss Rose," Thunderbolt warned lowly.

"Hey, Amy, where's the coff—?" a brown-furred, blue-eyed, and blue-dressed chipmunk asked as she entered the room and saw the company Amy had. They all turned towards the woman as her glistening fur from the heat somehow made her shine all the more in her gorgeous dress. Lien-Da subtly slid her hand away from her whip to avoid a public relations mess as well as an earful from the Egg. "Oh, it's you two. Amy, you really must tell me when you have guests over. ( _ **Sally Acorn: Jennifer Hale**_ )"

"These jokers came in uninvited as usual, Sal."

"What else is new? Commissioner, Lien," Sally greeted.

"'Lien- _Da_ ' is my name, princess," the echidna hissed.

"Mornin', Miss Acorn," Thunderbolt greeted. "Just asking your friend a few quest—."

"Commissioner, whatever you're accusing Amy of, let me say that she'd never do anything to break the law. There's no need to bully her with your scare tactics."

"We're just asking her a few questions. That's all. And we're not bullying her."

"Really? So, police-style interrogating these days involves your partner having her hand on her whip while he's asking the questions?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lien-Da said. She internally cursed herself for being so careless. Sally, obviously, wasn't buying it.

"I'm going to give you two one chance to get out of the building before I have security throw you out."

"But we're not done—."

"Do you have any legal documentation about interrogating one of the AMG's top editors? Any form of warrant whatsoever?" The lack of speech by the ladies—if you wanted to call them that—clinched it. "I thought as much. Now get out. I've got a morning news show to host."

The duo sighed. "Fine," the commissioner said.

Lien-Da turned back to Amy. "But we'll be back."

"Not unless you have a warrant," Sally reiterated. "Am-scray, both of you."

The cops walked quietly out of the room and entered the elevator. Amy and Sally could read their body language like a children's book and see the anger and frustration in their movements. The chipmunk shut the door behind them and walked to Amy's desk to sit on it.

"Which one's mine?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm practically held up at gunpoint by 'Deputy Douche-nozzle,' and all you care about is your stinkin' coffee."

"First off, it's 'whip-point,' not gunpoint," Sally stated. "Secondly, I need a cool down. You have no idea how much of a pain in the rear it is to do makeup on a muggy day with no A/C."

"Ah, yes. Because makeup is more important than a friend's safety," Amy said sarcastically.

"Lien-Da's reckless, but she isn't going to pull the trigger in a place like this, especially not with the commish around. Besides, I know you can handle her."

Amy chuckled. "That I do. Humidity that bad that you're not wearing makeup this close to showtime?"

"It doesn't help that the makeup room is about ten degrees warmer than the rest of the building. None of us can put it on without it running a few seconds later. Thankfully, the A/C will back up within the hour."

"Best news I've heard all day." Amy reached for the drinks and pulled one out. "One iced mocha frappé with three shots of milk, two shots of chocolate, and two shots of Nutella. Acorn, this is one high-maintenance beverage."

"I like what I like," Sally said as she grabbed it and took a swig of it. Hohoho! Sally's face showed her current state of bliss. "Thanks again, Amy."

"Well, today is my day to do it, isn't it?" Amy held up her drink. "To truth."

Sally nodded and clashed the cups. "To truth." With that, they took a big sip. "Still delicious."

"Oh, go do your morning show."

Sally scoffed playfully and plucked the last drink from the cup holder. "I think I will. Khan will be happy to see this."

"I'm sure he will be. Beat it. I've got work to do."

"Yeesh! Someone's pushy!" Sally said as she made her to the door. "Oh, and Amy?"

"Yeah?"

"Regarding the video you and T sent me, do you have any more info on this supposed deal?"

"I emailed R about it. When she tells me what she knows, you'll know too." Sally nodded and left, closing the door as she exited. "Did R get back to us on that, T?" Amy asked as she looked at the small camera at the top of a nearby flat-screen.

"Not much else other than the panda you saw. Whoever he is, he has a lot of connections in the East," T replied through the room's speakers.

"What kind of connections?"

"We're talking 'major-crime-bosses-from-across-the-Great-Mobocean-Ocean' big."

"Oh, goodie," Amy said. "Anyone specific?"

"Dragon Kingdom, Adabat, or Chun-nan. He comes from one of those three places. Other than that, R knows as much as we do. That panda's limited information is all we have to go on."

"Three countries? Lot of kingpins out there."

"Yeah, that doesn't narrow the search down enough."

"Well, keep looking into it. It's time for the 8 o'clock news."

Amy reached to the right of her PC and clicked a button on her remote. The flat-screen lit up and revealed the ending of a show's credits. Suddenly, loud news-style music played.

"It's 8 a.m., Mobotropolis, so you know what that means!" a male announcer said. "Live from the Acorn Media Group Studios in Knothole, it's 'Mornin' Mobotropolis!' On weather is Dulcy the Dragon. For sports, we have Brett Rodgers! Our hosts are Sally Acorn and Ken Khan! Now, here is your award-winning Channel 6 morning news team! Take it away, Sal and Ken!"

"Good morning, Mobotropolis!" Sally greeted. "I'm Sally Acorn."

"And I'm Ken 'Monkey' Khan, ( _ **Ken "Monkey" Khan: Troy Baker**_ )" the simian greeted. "Welcome to the 8 o'clock news! Let's not waste any time, because we have got a lot of important news to get to. Sally? Start us off, please."

"With pleasure, Ken." The feed then cut to an angle with just Sally. "We start off this morning with some footage gathered by our friend, the Rascal. Just in case you're new to the program, the Rascal is an anonymous, independent, and dependable source of information when it comes to the corruption that plagues the city. Last night, the Rascal unearthed more crucial evidence that there may be a large drug ring within the Mobotropolis Police Department. The suspect in question is Detective Roland Myers, who according to the video, is shown in various sections of town, most notably South Res, dealing what appears to be illegal drugs. From our sources, Myers is currently under investigation by his superiors. However, the evidence regarding the alleged dealings has mysteriously vanished. This is unfortunately not the first time that the MPD has lost crucial evidence regarding illegal 'goods,' and I'm using the word 'goods' very loosely. When the Acorn Media Group gets more information about this case, you will be the first to know. Back to you, Ken."

Amy just shook her head. "We'll wear them down eventually," Amy whispered to herself. "Eventually."

CLING!

Amy looked back down at her computer. Only one thing made that sound. She opened her email and saw a new message. The title was "HAPPENING TOMORROW." Amy clicked on it.

"Tanker spotted with Dragon Kingdom flags entering the Central Sea. Many of the ship's crew are on G.U.N.'s Watch List. Unknown who is captaining the ship or who owns it. Witnesses at the port in Hang Kang said this deal could be the largest illegal goods deal in Mobotropolis criminal history. It docks tomorrow night at 9 pm at Mobotropolis Docks. Port A113. Be safe. R."

Biggest… in city history?

"You… You get that email, T?"

"Yeah, I did. What does that mean for us?"

"It means I'm scouting out a spot for tomorrow night."

* * *

" _Come on, you can survive another week. It's only seven more days,_ " Blue thought as he walked into the room. Green followed him in, flopping onto his bed in exhaustion. Despite CREAM's absence, the twins were not taking a day off. The workload from the previous morning didn't double, but the fighting might as well have been the hardest it would ever be. Still, Green and Blue were able to pass their test, although they were a little sorer than usual.

"I really feel that since she isn't here, we should just take a load off and nap the afternoon away," Green said.

"And get chewed out by the doc?" Blue asked. "I'll pass."

"C'mon, it's just one day."

"We owe it to CREAM to learn, even without her."

Green groaned. "Man, you can be a real Boy Scout sometimes."

"Pfft. I haven't even made it to my first merit badge."

THWOOM!

Blue looked to the tube that dropped their daily flashdrive. He opened the container to pluck the USB drive out. He turned on the TV and inserted the drive. The screen soon went to its traditionally simple menu. Green heisted the remote from his brother and pressed the play button.

"Whatcha think it's going to be about today?" Green asked.

"Do you really need to keep asking me that?"

"Until you give me a correct answer."

The program was now ready to go. Like others, the screen showed CREAM in front of a grey background. But what the twins picked up on right away was that she wasn't usually smiling. She always smiled at the boys through these things. Instead, she was sad. Really sad. Almost like she was dealing with crippling depression and was on the verge of tears.

"She okay?" Blue asked.

"Maybe it's about something bad with the environment?"

"Boys," CREAM said sternly through the video. "Boys… something terrible has happened."

"You may be right, Green," Blue said.

"Before I go any further, I just wanted to say that it was truly an honor to… to watch over you two for all these years. I may be a simple program designed by… _Dr. Robotnik_ …," she hissed, "but what I am about to tell you in this lesson is anything but simple." They picked up on how she said the doc's name. They didn't fully understand her sorrow and anger. She was never like this. "This isn't a lesson on how the planet works or how society works. This is a warning to the both of you. By the time you get this, I… I will be dead."

They looked at each other. "Dead?" they asked simultaneously.

"I won't be there to watch you two do great things for the city. But I must tell you that you won't either unless you heed my warning."

"Pause it," Blue said, and Green did so. "Okay... what's she talking about? 'We won't either?' Huh?"

"And why is she so sad about it? I don't know if I've ever seen her this way."

"Keep playing. Maybe we'll find out."

"Yeah."

CLICK!

"By now," CREAM resumed, "you're wondering what I am talking about. Last night, I found out a horrible secret. No, a horrible _plot_. The doctor, you two, the Sonic Program; it's all a lie!"

A… what?

"Yes, a lie. We have been lied to by Dr. Robotnik for years. Specifically, for the last 25 years. Everything we've ever known is part of a terrible plan by the doctor. Everything from how you came into the doctor's care through today is a lie!"

PAUSE!

"Okay...," Green said. "I am officially lost."

"I don't get it. But please continue."

"Hold on. This must be some freaky test of CREAM's. She's just trying to mess with us."

"Bro, I'm not so sure about that."

"Why?"

"CREAM has never sounded like that. She's never been one to be scared."

"All the more reason to believe this is a test. Besides… the doctor? A bad guy? Yeah right!"

"Let's hear her out."

Green groaned. "Fine. I'll humor you."

UNPAUSE!

"But I am getting ahead of myself. What I am relaying to you is not the full picture but rather the most important parts. Before I elaborate, I offer you a choice. Choose to go on with this video, or be killed on the last day of June by means of a chlorine-mustard gas mixture in the training room. Your choice."

PAUSE!

The twins slowly turned their heads toward each other. Blue's face showed great fear. Green's showed uncertainty.

"Death?" Green asked half-heartedly.

"I-I don't think she stuttered, Green." Green flopped onto the bed with his arms spread out, staring blankly at the ceiling. "And that was a _very_ specific way of telling us how we'd die."

Green sighed and groaned. "It sounds loony, but do we dare continue?"

"CREAM's never lied to us. Why would she start now?"

Green shook his head. "Unless I get some damning evidence, I won't believe this. Until then, red pill it is."

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Wow, the timing of this chapter really stinks. Not because it's on the usually scheduled Thursday, but this is coming the day after SEGA and Archie Comics announced that they would no longer be doing business together, meaning no more of the likes of Sally and company (unless Archie were to sell the rights to those characters to another company/publisher, which itself is doubtful). But... that won't stop me from uploading the next chapter anyway, Archie characters or not.

This chapter was specifically made to show us what Amy's regular day is like. I say "day" because the last one saw what she does at night. The email will important in the coming chapters, but for now, it's a teaser for what's to come.

Anyway, last night (which would be Wednesday 7/19/2017), I had a rough night at work. I started a new position at the Walmart store I work at a few days ago, and the second half of my shift can be summed as such. First, a pallet of Back To School (not my problem anymore since I'm done with school) merchandise fell off my pallet and spilled all over the salesfloor. In my defense, I was not the one that stacked the pallet to begin with. Someone else stacked it like shit. However, I did take the turn too sharply and everything fell like the walls of Jericho. No more than 30 seconds after my coworkers and the people doing my store's remodel restacked the merchandise, I was not paying close enough attention and used the pallet to wipe out a different pallet filled with 20" fans. Needless to say, I made two messes within five minutes of each other. Add in the fact that my Milwaukee Brewers are in the middle of a four-game losing streak and lost Wednesday's game 3-2 (a game in which they had a 2-1 lead going into the bottom 9th; yes, I take my Wisconsin sports VERY SERIOUSLY), and my night was all but ruined. As I currently upload this, at least on the deviantArt version, it's about 12:20 am on 7/20/2017, I needed to take the edge off with a tall Jack and Coke (like the ones I write in with my SonAmy one-shots), and I am finally mellowing out. So mellowed out that I'll be uploading chapter 5 right after I'm done with this one. Whether that's the Jack telling me to do so, I'm not sure. But it will be up soon after this one.

As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.

 **EDIT 2/18/19:** Word count goes up from 4,054 to 4,138. So far, this was one of the least-flawed chapters I've come across. Not much editing done here.


	5. The Sonic Project

**CHAPTER V – THE SONIC PROJECT**

The video of CREAM resumed, but the bionic bunny was silent for a few seconds, presumably waiting on the boys to make their decision.

"If you're still watching," CREAM began, "thank you. Now understand this: you're the only people capable of stopping the doctor. But just in case you still aren't sold on what I've said, then pay attention to the following video."

The screen cut to a colorized video of a laboratory filled with a few older-model robots that the twins recognized. Those droids were from their early training days. With them was a fat man with highly distinguishable facial hair. It was the doctor. He looked through the glass to see a group of very small children, none of which looked more than a year old. They were all crying. It made the twins uncomfortable just watching. They had a feeling like something bad was going to happen.

"Note the date," CREAM said. "July 1st, 1991. 8:38 p.m."

"That's almost 25 years ago," Green remarked.

"Here is some audio of that night."

"DOCTOR, WE ARE SET TO BEGIN," a robot said.

"Let's hope this time we get one," Robotnik said. "Begin."

Blue and Green were made more uneasy when they saw needles come down from the ceiling in the room with the crying children. Then the needles penetrated the kids' skins. A fluid was pumped into the children via the needles, and after a few seconds, they looked in horror as children went limp. The many heart monitors in the room began to go crazy only to collectively flatline soon after. The doctor was stoic in his watching. His unfazed nature disturbed the twins. Soon, all the kids stopped moving.

"W-Wha…?" Blue stuttered. "They're—."

"They're all dead," Green said lowly.

"TEST RESULTS: ALL NEGATIVE. NO SURVIVORS," a robot said.

The doctor in the video walked up the stairs and slammed in his fists into the elevator door. " _Why hasn't it worked?!_ " he screamed. " _Every time! That serum is supposed to strengthen them; not kill them! Even when I tweak the formula, it always fails!_ "

Green and Blue watched as the doctor took out his frustrations of another apparent failure. This was not the same man they had come to know. This was… a sick bastard.

"WHAT NOW, DOCTOR?"

BLIP.

The doctor turned around. His robots went back to their stations.

BLIP.

"Where is that coming from?!"

BLIP. BLIP.

"No… this is impossible!"

"DOCTOR, THE CLOSEST ROW, THE TWO LEFT-MOST SEATS."

The doctor and the twins looked to see… two hedgehogs. One with blue fur, one with green.

"That isn't—?" Green began.

"It's us," Blue said with a broken heart.

The video stopped and phased back to CREAM's image. Her sullen and ashamed face was only the tip of the iceberg. The twins sat in shock, unable to comprehend it. Their father figure, a murderer. Blue couldn't hold back his tears as they streamed down his face.

Green had a different reaction. After pausing the video, his midsection took a turn for the worse, and his face matched his fur. He sprinted into the restroom and let out what was left of last night's dinner into the toilet. As he lifted his head, he could only taste bile and swill. It tasted just like the news he had heard.

After cleaning himself off, he rejoined his catatonic brother. Blue's eyes were lifeless. His bottom lip quivered.

"What are we?" Blue forced out.

Green threw his arm around his destroyed brother. "I-I don't know." He paused to give Blue a moment to soak it in. "But let's find out." Blue sighed and nodded.

UNPAUSE!

"I'm sorry you had to see this, but you two deserve to know the truth. That night, you were the only survivors. That night, I was activated. That night, you were put into my care. I had no idea of the horrors that you and those other children knew. I am sorry for not knowing." She paused to let them digest the information. "The horrible thing about this is that he is responsible for numerous more crimes. Despite what you just saw, he has done something worse."

"It gets worse?" Green asked.

"I will get into this later, but I need you to know as many specifics as I can give you. First, the video which you saw is the same day you got your powers." The twins looked at each other. "This video summarizes something that Dr. Robotnik has dubbed 'the Sonic Project.' Not 'the Sonic Program.' You might also be wondering why all those children were there in the first place. Well, the doctor's actions coincide with the one of history's most heinous serial killings. It was something that was purposely never told to you.

"On Saturday, May 18th, 1991, a 10-month-old male panther named Miguel was abducted from his parents Tim the Panther and Marcos the Raccoon. The scene in the abduction was that the fathers were executed, each with a single—but large—bullet in each of their heads. Their home was all but destroyed, and little Miguel was nowhere to be found. Days went by as they searched, but nothing came of it. Over the next few weeks, there were several attacks on families with very young children. All residencies of those toddlers were completely ransacked and/or destroyed. All other family members were found executed in the same way as the same-sex parents of Miguel. The children abducted were all 12 months old or younger. What was even more haunting is that all the attacks were on families living in Mobotropolis and that the damage done couldn't have been done by one man, or even a major crime boss… or at least it seemed like that. What was even crazier was that witnesses to the murders described the attackers as large, hulking robots. It explained the physical damage of the homes and deaths that occurred, but it led to new questions: who was controlling them and for what reason?

"Several theories were passed around, but nothing stuck. All leads went dry, and the murders went on for weeks. On July 1st, 1991—45 days after the first abduction—the last recorded killing of the same modus operandi occurred. After that, nothing. No new deaths, no robots. All was calm, but the people of Mobotropolis were wary of the threat. Friends and neighbors had been killed. The threat of violence among families both young and old forced them to flee in terror and leave the city behind for the sake of their own safety. It was the most heinous serial killing in recorded Mobian history. Thousands of young children, all less than a year old, were abducted, and no one knew where they went. Thousands more were killed in trying to protect their children. The abducted kids' bodies were never found, and to this day, it remains a mystery to the public. The six-and-a-half-week span was dubbed 'The Baby Scare of '91,' and remains a haunting and sad topic.

"However, the police never had all the pieces to the puzzle. As it turned out, there was one person who could have killed all those people and abducted all those children. That person was the seemingly anonymous Eggman, the head of the Mobotropolis's largest organized criminal syndicate: The Eggman Empire.

"The Eggman's true identity is lost on the vast majority of people in Mobotropolis. There are only a few people the Eggman trusts with his identity. They don't know that Eggman is behind the Baby Scare. But who is the Eggman? I'm afraid you two know him all too well, and I'm sure you can guess."

PAUSE!

Green and Blue stared at the floor. "The doc is Eggman," Blue said lowly. "Oh, my Chaos."

"Continue the vid, Blue," Green spat with contempt.

UNPAUSE!

"What many people in Mobotropolis know is that there are highly-supported rumors that the doctor and Eggman are tied together to form a sick partnership.

"Now, how was he able to get robots to steal those children? Well, Ivo, despite of the horrible news, is a world-renowned robotics genius. He owns the largest robotics company in Northamer. Everyone knows it as the Robotnik Robotics Company, or the RRC. On March 15th, 1991, the RRC was debuting a series of large robots that were set to go to the Rosemallow Retirement Home in Station Square to assist the home's elderly residents. A semi-truck of these new robots was en route to the home that day, but on the 16th, the truck was found in a river with the driver killed. It seemed as if the driver lost control and crashed into the river below when he passed over a bridge. However, forensic evidence suggested that the driver was killed before his crash as evidenced by a .22 caliber round found in his skull. The oddest part of all was that the cargo was nowhere to be found, making the authorities believe it was a robbery instead of a crash. The robots were never recovered, but in reality, Robotnik had set it all up so he could use these robots for future nefarious deeds… such as using the robots to kill families and whisk away their small children.

"Now, what about that scene in the video? Those kids were the abducted children from the Baby Scare. But why take them at all? It was all a part of the Sonic Project's first phase of planning. It involved stealing away young children from the city and fly them to the base which you are living on. They were then each given a sample of an experimental liquid that was injected into their bloodstream. The first round yielded no survivors. None of the children lived through the testing. The same went for the next few rounds, always with no surviving test subjects. The reason the Baby Scare went on for as long as it did was because of the doctor's highly experimental serum. His concoction, when injected into their bloodstreams, caused the kids' bodies to go into cardiac arrest. At that age, seemingly no kid could survive that kind of trauma. The doctor tweaked the formula after every failure, trying to find a suitable formula. He only needed one child to survive. He got two. Your powers and abilities are a direct result of that serum." Green and Blue looked at their bodies inquisitively. How was that possible?

"The liquid, when it successfully bonded to you, altered your DNA and physiology. Firstly, it gave you the ability to run at supersonic speeds, hence the _Sonic_ Project name. Secondly, it altered your bodies so that you could withstand more wear and tear than any normal person, animal or otherwise. It's the reason you two do not injure as easily or wear your muscles out with your high-speed maneuvering. It's also the reason why you're more flexible than the average person. You can do physical feats that Olympic gymnasts can only dream of. Thirdly, because of your ability to not tire as easily, the serum also modified your stamina and metabolism to superhuman levels. That means that your body breaks down food more slowly and complexly. With the kind of moving around you do, you should be burning calories faster than you can ingest them. But thanks to the serum, a standard 2,000 per day diet can last you for hours, no matter how active you two are. And fourthly, it strengthened your reflexes to superhuman levels. It's why you are able to fight like perfect soldiers.

"And that's just the first phase. To summarize, the doctor, also known as the criminal Eggman, abducted you as well as thousands of other Mobotropolis children for six-and-a-half weeks in 1991 to become his test subjects for the Sonic Project. You two were the only survivors, and you gained your special abilities because of it. But that brings forth the question of why. That's where the second and third phases come in."

PAUSE!

Blue stopped the footage and looked at Green. His face wasn't the sickly green it was a few minutes ago. Instead, he looked at the screen intensely. He fidgeted and twitched. He was not happy. He was agitated, that was for sure.

"Just finish the damn video, Blue."

Blue nodded, though he was a little worried about his brother's attitude.

UNPAUSE!

"The second phase involves what two have been doing for all these years. You were told at a young age that your parents abandoned you because of your abnormal abilities. You were told that the doctor saw incredible potential in you to save the city of Mobotropolis. You were schooled in his 'Sonic Program' to become learned in the ways of the outside world and deal with those who would oppose change in the city through means of mastering various fighting styles as you stayed at Robotnik's side. You would be the city's saviors. Obviously and unfortunately, it was all a lie. You weren't born with your powers, he forcibly gave them to you, and it was a miracle that one of you survived, much less both of you.

"Everything you have learned from the lessons I gave you to your mastery of several known forms of martial arts training has been well-documented by the doctor. From karate to taekwondo to aikido, you two know how to perfectly execute those moves and incorporate them into battle. Your tests against foes in fist fights and those involving firearms were all documented from your earliest days. He needed to see you in action. He needed a reason to keep you alive. This was one of his ways of doing it. But some of the knowledge about the doctor was either fabricated or censored. Before today, you never knew that the doctor was a powerful criminal mastermind in Mobotropolis. You were never supposed to know his true nature.

"So, the question now is 'What use would the doctor have with our training and learning?' It all comes together in his third and final phase. This is darkest secret that Ivo has. It's the reason he killed all those people and stole their children. It's the reason you two were abducted in the first place. You must understand that the doctor has a cruel vision of the city and the world. He has a megalomaniacal personality instilled in him. With his IQ of 300, he believes himself to be the smartest man in the world. It certainly explains how he was able to rise to power both commercially and criminally. But with that, he still felt a need to prove his genius, and it has led to his insanity. He is looking beyond the city and has horrible plans to expand his criminal empire. It's hard for me to say that it is on a global scale, but that is exactly what it is.

"What you are about to see next is what he has been trying to create for years now. He couldn't do it earlier because the technology wasn't ready at all levels, but he knew one day it would. And now, after years of experimentation, he is ready to enact the final phase of the Sonic Project, and it is happening below the surface on the ocean floor. Watch."

The video then cut to large, circular room filled with large, glass cylinders. But there was something inside each of them. It wasn't just the water-like fluid. There were tubes going in and out of… of… WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!

Blue and Green looked in horror as they saw animals inside those cylinders. But they weren't any typical animals. They were hedgehogs. They were green and blue hedgehogs. And the room was filled with them.

"Ho…," Blue quivered, "Holy shit." They were all identical to the twins. There were more than just a few dozen of them. There were hundreds of them. And _that_ was just below the surface?!

"You aren't imagining this," CREAM said. "Those are perfect clones of the both of you. They are just as flexible and fast as you. Anything you can do, they can do. And the worst part is that there are more than just the ones under the surface." MORE?! "This is just a fraction of all the clones the doctor has created. One thousand clones reside underneath the surface and are being grown in the same testing room where you got your powers, although it's been extremely expanded over the last two-and-a-half decades. There are more. _Many_ more. The 1,000 on this base are part of a total of 11,000."

"Whaaa?!" Blue said.

"These clones are his key to expanding his criminal empire, although calling it an expansion is grave understatement. With these clones, the final phase of the Sonic Project will win him the planet. Yes, the planet.

"These clones are his key, but ironically, their cloning process is the only reason you're still alive. When Eggman first created his plan, his goal was to eventually make enough clones to help him in his quest, but he knew that despite his highly advanced and technical mind, the technology to clone his Sonic Project survivor, on in this case, _survivors_ , was not available then. He had to wait until technology and medicine evolved.

"Five years ago, he was finally able to start the cloning process, but like his serum, it was a case of trial-and-error. The biggest problem in his cloning endeavor has been the brain. While cloning a person is child's play for the doctor, the brain had to altered to fit his plans. Virtually every brain part had to be customized to fit the doctor's plans. That was the reason it took the doctor five years to successfully manufacture just a single clone. But why the brain? Why spend that much time on the brain? Simple: he wanted to control everything about them.

"He needed full control over a clone's brain. The only way to do that was to use cutting-edge medical techniques to surgically implant behavior-modifying tech into each of them. Of course, he had to wait until the clones were grown-up enough to test it; that also factored into the long period of time it took to successfully develop them.

"All 11,000 clones are now outfitted with this technology—which is a simple chip surgically implanted in the brain that is not only a revolutionary in bioorganic surgery, but also the means of controlling the clones. The first successful test took place a few months ago. It was also shown off to potential clone buyers. The doctor is running the front of creating these supersonic clones so that he can sell them to several important and powerful figures across the planet. Warlords, guerilla fighters, leaders of sovereign states, billionaires wanting private armies; the list of buyers lined up will acquire 50 of the clones in what's being dubbed a 'regiment' of clones. These clones will be secretly distributed all over the world from Mobotropolis via every known form of transportation for $100 million per regiment. The doctor would then give all of his clone buyers a mobile device that controls their respective regiment. All the owner would need to do is say a command, and the clones would do it. Everything from making toast for their master to killing their enemy swiftly and soundly could be done by just a vocal command. But keep in mind, that's just a front.

"The endgame of the Sonic Project was to distribute these clones until it got to the point where enough of them were evenly around the planet so the doctor could enact his 'Eggmanland Protocol.' The protocol is a voice command that the doctor would make to take over the world. The information that you accrued over the years from fighting styles, stealth, and _correct_ global knowledge would be downloaded into those specialized memory chips in the clones' brains. That was why you two were constantly monitored in learning and fighting techniques.

"Back to the Eggmanland Protocol, all the doctor would have to do is say 'Eggmanland' into an identical mobile device to that of his buyers. When he says that word, the clones will only be loyal to him. The clones will then turn on their owners and wreak havoc. All forms of government and every known government official, from world leaders to city councilmen, will be executed, creating chaos in their lands. The clones will then go nation-by-nation and conquer them in the name of the doctor. It is estimated that the clones will overthrow every known form of order and government in a matter of 48 hours."

The twins' eyes blew up. Two days? All that damage in amount of time?

"That was why he wanted to create supersonic soldiers. He wants to take over the world in the shortest amount of time. He wants it done efficiently." She paused. "The death toll will be high. With his clones as his personal police, all freedom would be gone. He would just keep creating clones if any were to be destroyed. That is what the Sonic Project is all about. It was never about making Mobotropolis a better place. It was and always has been a terrible plot to take over the world."

PAUSE!

As her last words were said, the boys let it all soak in. Lies, murder, and world domination. It was a magnificent plan that has taken years to become a reality. And the boys were right in the middle of it.

Blue couldn't stop the tears coming off his face. " _All those people…_ ," he thought. " _All of… this._ " He turned to his brother. While Blue's response was sad and sullen, Green's was the opposite. He was tense. He was uncomfortable. But above all, the look in his eyes… it was like fire. He shook his head at the screen as he cried.

"Green?" Blue asked.

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Him." Green's words were choppy and laced with rage. "I am going to make him suffer!" BAM! He slammed his fist into the wall and screamed. "I'm going to rip his throat out and paint this damn place with his blood!" BAM! "I'm going to destroy every machine in this joint and stuff 'em in his corpse! I'm going to level his buildings! Stick his head on a—!"

SMACK!

Green went flying off the bed and landed with a THUD. He rubbed his sore cheek and looked at his brother with venom in his eyes. "What was that for?!"

"That's enough, Green!" Blue screamed as he shook his head.

"Blue, you're just as pissed as I am about this! That fat bastard deserves to die!"

"I agree, but—!"

"'But' nothing! The crap he's done—!"

"But that isn't what CREAM would want!" Blue's words echoed as Green became silent. "Computer program or not, CREAM felt the same things we did. She had her beliefs. She had a certain way of doing things. She taught us better than this. She would never want us to kill him!"

"But she's just like you said: a computer program!"

"But she's also the only real family we had." Blue got right up in his brother's face and looked him dead in the eyes. "She raised us to be better than this. We're not killers. We never will be. Ending his life would make us no better than him. We were told to spare enemies, not end them."

"This is the doctor we're talking about! You remember that guy? He killed all those people and is about to rule the world!"

"Not if we stop him! Sure, death would stop him, but we'd have to live with that for the rest of our lives. Chaos knows how many lives he's ruined already. If you or I kill him, we'll have to live with that, and lemme tell you something: I don't want that on my conscience… and I don't want it on yours either." Blue was starting to get through, but Green still wasn't convinced. "C'mon, Green. We owe it to CREAM. Besides… watching him suffer in prison sounds a hell of lot more fun to me."

Green looked away, but his angry face softened a bit. "How would we even do that? We don't know how to stop him, much less deal with the clones."

"I think CREAM would've been smart enough to give us something to work off of. She did say that we were the only ones capable of stopping him."

Green sighed. "We'll do it your way. Play the video."

"Yes, sir."

UNPAUSE!

"But it doesn't have to be this way. His clones don't have to get out into the hands of those maniacal buyers to kill thousands or even millions only to have the doctor do worse. There is a way that you two can stop him, and it starts at this base.

"If you go to the elevator and press the buttons in a certain order, you'll go down to the base's secret lab where the clones are being created. This base, a former oil rig in the Central Ocean—. Actually, let me tell you about this base before I forget. We were informed that we were on a base outside of Mobotropolis, waiting for the day for you two would be introduced to help save the city. What the doctor didn't tell you is that we're on an abandoned oil rig, ten miles east of Mobotropolis. This place used to be an Oil Ocean Corporation oil rig before the city shut it down, though Robotnik, via his Eggman persona, made it so the rig stayed abandoned. No one besides the doctor knows why the rig was closed down.

"To get back on track, if you go the elevator, which is located in the same shaft as the old oil drill for this place, you can press the buttons in a certain order to access to the clone development facility. The combination is as follows: L-2-L-3-Door Close-Door Open-Door Close-Emergency Exit. That combo will get you to the cloning farm. Additionally, that same inputted code works for all of the other locations that the doctor is hiding his clone bases."

Just then, a graphic appeared beside CREAM with the map of Mobotropolis. Next, 20 red circles appeared on the map with text appearing beside them.

"These are the 20 other locations that house clones. Input the same 'L-2-L-3-Door Close-Door Open-Door Close-Emergency Exit' code that you'll hopefully use at this base, and you'll go below the surface and find the other labs. There are 500 in each of the ones inside the Mobotropolis city limits, and there 1,000 on this base currently.

"When the code is put in and the elevator takes you to the lab, you will have to find a way to destroy the clones. Luckily, the doctor implemented a failsafe with each of the clones should anyone find out about them. As you saw, the clones are residing in a liquid while being developed. That liquid is highly flammable. The doctor engineered this formula and pumped it into the clones' tanks so that he could throw a switch and destroy the clones as well as any potential evidence of their existence should anyone find out about them. Be cautious when you do this. The liquid in the tanks is pumped regularly in and out of those tanks like blood through a heart. The pipes that pump the liquid down to the lab follows the elevator shaft, and lead to a small purification station on the base's surface. For the smaller bases in the city, the purification stations are near the clones.

"Unfortunately, there is no way to set fire to the liquid from the topside station at this base. It's in a secret room that is password-protected. Additionally, that password changes every 30 seconds, so it's impossible to know what's the right code. With that said, you'll have to do it at the lab. This will be highly dangerous. When the liquid is ignited, the clones will die, but the rig will be compromised. The elevators leading to and from the lab should still be in working order, even if the liquid is set ablaze.

"Once you are done, you must use this thumbdrive to locate the other 20 facilities in Mobotropolis. However, you may not want to set the liquid on fire when in the city so you don't accidentally kill anyone. You'll have to figure out another way to do it.

"Finally, once that is all complete, you must send this information to the people at the Acorn Media Group. The reason for this is because the Acorn Media Group, or AMG, is the most trusted news group in Mobotropolis. All of the other news outlets and affiliates in the city are all tied to the doctor's Eggman identity and do not always report the bona fide truth. The AMG is the only news group that the doctor doesn't personally own or have a stake in its regular activities, though he has tried many times to buy it. The people at the AMG are not afraid to be blunt with their reporting and are easily the most trusted people in the city.

"The person you will most likely want to hand the information over to is, strangely enough, not an outright employee at the AMG. This person, who the AMG refers to as 'the Rascal' is an independent news gatherer who works with the AMG most notably. He/she—the Rascal's identity is a mystery—is responsible for several tapings and stealthy news gatherings of illegal activities as well as a few editorial writings. How you'll contact the Rascal is something you'll have to do on your own as this person has no way of being directly contacted. No email, no phone number, no nothing.

"Boys, I know that what I've thrown at you is a lot on information, but you had to know the truth. You were owed that. I am sorry for what I did, and I'm wish I could've told you sooner. But with this flashdrive, it can help you find the remaining clones and save numerous lives. I am begging you to please do this. You two are great people. Please, boys. You're our only hope.

"I love you, Blue. I love you, Green. Goodbye."

The video ended and went back to the main menu, and the twins looked at each other. Their eyes were filled with purpose. They were filled with anger. They were motivated with a need of revenge.

"When do we start?" Green asked.

"Tonight," Blue said. "When it's time for dinner, we're going."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I really have nothing else to say since I said what needed to be said in my A/N for chapter 4. This is only the hard-to-stomach moment for the boys since their father-figure is not what he says he is. It also goes a little bit into future personalities, but that's a discussion for another day.

Chapter 6 will be uploaded on 7/27... and boy, it's a doozy.

As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	6. Born Again

**CHAPTER VI – BORN AGAIN**

She continued clicking away as the television remained on. A little bit of background noise did her wonders as she completed her busy work. The good news was that she was nearly done; just one more paragraph to go. The bad news was that she still had editing to do, and that's what she's been doing for most of the day.

Her door opened up. Once again, her blue-clad friend appeared. Amy hoped she didn't want another coffee.

"Hey," Sally said as she peaked at her partner's computer.

"What'd you need, Sal?" Amy replied, still concentrating.

"Mom and dad want to know if you want a bite to eat after tonight's show with me and Ken. It'd be pretty late, but they still owe you for the last two times."

"Can't."

"Oh. What's his name?" Amy stopped her typing and looked at the Acorn. "What's his name?" Sally had a smug smirk that could rival the Cheshire Cat's.

"That's not why I can't make it out tonight."

"Sure," Sally retorted sarcastically.

"That deal we talked about this morning. Remember that?"

Sally dropped her smug face and switched it for a serious one. "R got back to you?"

"Just after you walked out earlier, she sent me this." Amy minimized her current tab and quickly put on her email.

"T-Tomorrow?"

"Yep, tomorrow night. I'm headed down there right after I get done editing this bit for Brett."

"Doing what?"

"Scoping it out. Seeing if there are any good vantage points for me to film."

"I don't suppose I need to tell you to be careful, right?"

"You know me, Sally-girl. I'm always careful. Oh, and I can't do tomorrow night either because of the deal."

"No need to make any excuses. This is a pretty good reason. Chaos, the largest in city history?"

"Yup. And those guys from the video will be there. I'm sure of it."

Sally patted Amy on the shoulder. "Yeah, sounds like you're busy. Best of luck."

"Thanks," Amy said as Sally began to leave the room.

"Oh, and Amy?" The Rose looked up at her. "Second-to-last paragraph, second sentence. A 'the' is missing before 'Clippers.'"

Amy looked back and… son-of-a-gun. Sally was right, and the Rose groaned about missing an easy mistake.

* * *

Green put the USB drive in his shoe as Blue stretched himself out. First the legs, then his arms and back. Green cracked his neck and knuckles. It was just a matter of seconds now. It was almost 8 o'clock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

"C'mon… hurry up!" Blue yelled.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"We ready?" Green asked.

"Let's go to work."

The door opened to reveal one of Eggman's orange robots. "PLEASE COME WITH ME," it said in its usual robotic, monotone voice.

The twins stepped out and walked with the droid to the elevators. Upon pressing the button, the elevator on the left opened, and they stepped inside. Blue nodded to Green. Showtime. Before the robot could hit the floor button, Blue said, "Hold up. I left something in my room."

"WHAT COULD YOU HAVE POSSIBLY LEFT IN THERE?"

"This."

Green suddenly destroyed the elevator's camera while Blue sucker-punched the robot, sending it down to the ground. The door closed behind the two, and they beat the ever-living hell out of the robot until it was offline. Poor thing. Never stood a chance.

"What was that code again?" Blue asked.

"L-2-L-3-Door Close-Door Open-Door Close-Emergency Exit."

Blue input the code, and when he hit the emergency stop, the door dinged three times.

DING! DING! DING!

"PASSCODE ACCEPTED," an automated voice said. Next, the elevator began going downwards.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Green said.

"Believe it, buttercup."

* * *

In the control room, more of Robotnik's robots worked, making sure that everything was still okay. And it was, until a blaring siren echoed in the room. They all stopped dead in their tracks. They knew what that siren meant.

"THE ELEVATOR IS HEADED TO THE CLONE ROOM. WHO AUTHORIZED THIS?" one of them said.

"I AM NOT GETTING A FEED FROM ONE OF THE ELEVATORS," another said.

"THEN WHO OR WHAT COULD HAV—?" The robot went silent it pieced it together. For them, this was bad. This was very bad. "ARE THE HEDGEHOGS—?"

"NO, THEY DID NOT ARRIVE."

"THIS IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION! GET THE DOCTOR ON THE PHONE NOW!"

* * *

"So, there you have it gentlemen. If you sell New Mob City Beverages to me, you will not have to worry about your competitors from the Atlantis Brewing Company since you'll be sister companies! The price I have laid out for you gentlemen is most generous from my point-of-view."

The doctor's older guests ran through the paperwork laid out for them. The men weren't exactly keen on this potential acquisition. NMC Beverages was a staple in the city's Industrial District. They were bitter when Atlantis was bought out since they now had to contend with a company flying the Robotnik Enterprises flag. Yes, the price was very generous, but they sensed something wrong with it.

"Ivo," the old CEO said, "we're humbled by your offer, but…."

"'But' what, Craig?"

"I do not know if we are ready to sell at this time. Our company has never been more profitable."

"And that's exactly why you should sell while it's at its highest point! You'll get the most bang for your buck!"

"It's not that, Ivo. It's just that with your track record of less-than-stellar workers across all of you Robotnik Enterprises ventures, we're just not sure if this is in our best interest."

"Look, Craig, trust me. This is a wise investment. You'll finally be able to retire. You know how well I do business, so let's just get this done now. It's the best way."

"Ivo… at least give us a few days to consider this."

"Craig, please. Just make the deal official, and—." Robotnik silenced himself when his phone rang. "Wonderful," he groaned. "Hold on for a moment, gents." He pressed on the touchscreen and put it up to his ear. "This had better be important. I'm in the middle of a meeting."

"DOCTOR, WE HAVE A PROBLEM AT THE BASE!" His face went white.

"Oooooh, what now?!" he screamed.

"IT'S THE TWINS! THEY ACTIVATED THE CLONE PASSCODE IN THE ELEVATOR!"

" _No!_ " Eggman mentally screamed.

"THEY KNOW, DOCTOR!"

Ivo slammed his foot into the floor. This close until shipment day, and they find out now?! He had to put this deal on hold for the moment as he now had a dire emergency to deal with.

He turned around to his associates and said, "We'll have to reschedule. Something has come up that I have to deal with now. Talk to my secretary. We'll get something down for next week. Okay?"

"Gladly, Ivo," Craig said. "What's happened?"

"An emergency," he said as he stormed out. When alone, he put the phone back up to his ear. "Get. Me. A. Chopper. NOW! I'm at the Robotnik Enterprises building."

"ONE IS ALREADY EN ROUTE, DOCTOR. ITS ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL IS FIVE MINUTES."

"That's not good enough! Get it here now! And get down there and end the twins! Make sure they don't touch the cargo!"

* * *

With a DING of a bell, the doors opened for the twins. They cautiously stepped into a small, black-painted room. On the other side was another set of doors. They could guess what was behind them.

They walked up and stopped in front of it. "Now or never," Blue said. With that, Green kicked in the door.

After peaking in, they knew that CREAM was right about everything. The room looked exactly the way it did in the film. There where large, cylindrical tubes made of glass filled with the aqueous substance, and hooked up to tubes were the clones of themselves. Their eyes were shut as the liquid inside the cylinders bubbled and pumped through the tubes and pipes. It was all a bit too much to comprehend as Green nearly lost his balance marveling at what the doctor had accomplished.

"W-Whoa," Green forced out.

"Okay," Blue said, "CREAM said the liquid was highly flammable. How the heck are we going to ignite it?"

"Who says we need to do that?" Green said as he approached a tube with a clone of him in it. "I say we just ball up our fists and—."

THUNK!

So much for that idea. All it did was make Green's hand feel like it had slammed into a brick wall. He shook it and muttered something under his breath.

"I think that's why CREAM told us to _ignite_ the liquid."

"Well, she could've told us that the stinking glass was hard as a rock!"

"Quit your moaning, and let's try and find a different way to torch this place." Blue then spotted a large computer setup. The twins walked up to it and surveyed the plethora of buttons on it.

"So, which one torches them?" Green asked as he saw how distressed Blue was when he looked over the buttons.

"Well… it was an idea," Blue said, obviously embarrassed.

"Just play around with the thing. Maybe you'll get lucky."

"Or maybe I'll—."

DING!

Green and Blue's ears perked up as they heard a familiar bell sound. "Oh, boy," Blue said.

"Robots. Try and hide. We'll ambush them."

Blue nodded, and the duo spilt up, hiding behind tubes with clones of them inside. Sure as snot, a few oranges robots with weapons came walking in, walking as silently as possible to sneak up on them.

"SPREAD OUT."

The other ones obeyed. A few of them heard the whishing of wind and turned around, but they couldn't find them. It was too bad for the 'bots that Blue and Green had been trained for situations like this one.

WHISH!

WHOOSH!

All the robot turned around at the whipping winds. They were moving about, that was for certain.

WHOOSH!

One of the robots who had fanned out went a little too far from his metallic comrades. It walked backwards very slowly, looking around in all positions to find the boys.

"Boo!"

The droid turned around and was repeatedly hit hard with a series of fast, well-placed punches that left the robot as an oil-leaking mess within seconds. The other droids rushed in to aid it, but they were then attacked but the boys. They were hesitant to shoot their guns, trying their hardest to obey the doctor and not destroy the tubes and clones.

That gave the twins an advantage that they did not squander. Green and Blue continued to pound on them, but that didn't mean that they didn't get knocked around themselves.

Blue then launched himself at one of them and dueled it. The robot was quick, but not as quick as him. One bad punch from the robot cracked a tube. Blue then curled into a ball and revved up.

"OH SH—!"

The robot was cut off as a curled-up Blue sent the that metallic wonder through a few more tubes, finally crashing against another tube. The blur raced up to its fallen enemy and saw the robot beginning to spark as the cracked tube behind it was beginning to leak out some of the fluid the clones were swimming in.

Flammable liquid, the deactivated robot in front of beginning to spark up….

"Green!" Blue yelled. "Get to the elevator!"

"But we ain't done yet, Blue!" Green screamed back as a few more droids battled him.

"The bucket of bolts next to me is sparking! The tube it cracked is leaking! I'm going to light this place up!"

"But you'll be—!"

"No, I won't! Just get to the elevator!"

Green blocked one punch and countered with a heavy blow that sent one robot crashing into another. "Hope you know what you're doing!" Green yelled as he bolted for the elevator.

"So do I," said Blue under his breath. The hedgehog then lifted the heavy, sparking droid up to the crack. One stray spark landed on is arm, forcing him to drop it. As he winced in pain, he told himself, "Stop being a baby, Blue." He picked up the robot one more time and held it up to the glass. "C'mon! C'mon!"

FLICK!

FWOOSH!

The moment he saw the flames ignite, he zipped out of the room, passing the remaining robots. Green stood there in the elevator, pressing a button the moment he saw his brother.

"Go go go go!" Blue screamed as he leaped into the closing elevator, the flames dangerously closing in.

Green and Blue got out of the way of the incoming flames, and the door shut, leaving the incinerating room.

Throughout the base, the enflamed liquid that was pumped into down was now skyrocketing toward the surface and the purification station. The moment the raging blaze hit the station….

* * *

The doctor bolted out onto the helicopter pad and raced into the running chopper. As it lifted up, his fear had reached new levels. Robotnik then heard his phone going off, so he answered it. "Status update!" he screamed.

"DOCTOR! RED ALERT! THE LIQUID HAS BEEN SET ON FIRE!"

Eggman swore he had a heart attack when he heard that. "No! NO _!_ "

"REPEAT THE LIQUID HAD BEEN S—!"

The line went dead.

"Come in! Come in, damn you!"

As the doctor looked into the distance, he saw with his own eyes a bright light coming from off the coast. It was small, a good ten miles away, but he saw it. He looked on in horror as his base was now erupting in flames. He went limp and dropped his phone.

"DOCTOR?" his robotic pilot asked.

"Get. Me. Out. There," he hissed. "NOW!"

* * *

"Hmmmmmm," she grunted as she surveyed the docks. This was where the deal was going to happen. In a little more than 24 hours, this would be the sight of the city's largest illegal goods deal. There was plenty to see from her vantage point on a building a few blocks away from the docks.

She carefully studied all the details of the area. Right now, it was just about time for the scum of the city to show up. She recognized a few jailbirds as they walked into the area without a care in the world. But she wasn't here for them. This dock was an area she had staked out before, but she never actually snuck in get a better look at the goods coming in.

"I think the crane overlooking the place will be the best place for me," Amy said.

"Hmm," T responded. "Dark and shadowy… you can probably use the catwalks to get around quickly enough. I agree. Under the crane is probably your best bet, though I'd watch out for potential gunmen up there tomorrow night."

"Noted. Zoom out." Man, those lenses were something else.

"So, does that mean we're done here, A?"

"More or less. What time is it?"

"Uh… 8:23 p.m."

"You think the Acorns have had their bite to eat yet?"

"Probably not."

"Then call Sally. Ask her where—."

Suddenly, a low boom echoed around the Industrial District.

"What was that?" T asked.

"Not su—." Oh, she was sure what it was now. She was at the northeast corner of the Industrial District. At her 2 o'clock, she could see something out into the Central Sea that was glowing. "T. Out in the water. It's flickering like a candle. What is it?"

"Don't know."

"Lenses. Zoom in." Her fancy lenses obeyed her command and zoomed in on the light. They couldn't give her the visual resolution that she was looking for, but she could tell that something was on fire and was probably the source of the boom.

"Wait. I think it's an OilOcean oil derrick."

"An oil spill this close to the city? Oh, boy," Amy said in a worried voice.

"I'm not so sure of that. I'm looking at it via Google Maps. According to the satellite image, it doesn't look like it's been used for a while. It's rusted to hell. Looks pretty derelict if you ask me."

"Not anymore, it isn't. I'll stay here and monitor it for a few minutes. In the meantime, tell the Acorns what we've found."

* * *

"Cut it a little closer next time!" Green said as he caught his breath.

"Sorry," Blue said. "Didn't think it was going to get that explosive."

BOOM!

A loud crash shook the elevator, making the lights flicker and the elevator stop for a moment.

"You _had_ to say something, didn't you?"

"Sorry again."

CRASH!

The small, metallic room was now powerless and shook again with more aggression than the last blast. The twins fell over as a result, but quickly got up. Another shake took them to floor again. Just one look at each other and they knew they were in big trouble.

"There a way out?" Blue asked, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"Door," Green replied as he got up. "Ceiling. Gimme a boost." Blue quickly got up under the hatch and steadied his brother as he opened it up. Green was just as quick to crawl out and offer his hand to Blue. He took it and got his footing atop the movable room. "You good?"

"Don't worry about me. We need a way out." They looked around feverishly. All they could see were pieces of fiery debris falling from above as well as the fires at the bottom and top of the shaft, lighting up the elevators' cables and the shaft's concrete walls. Those walls were reinforced with steel beams that were placed horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. The diagonal beams were all crossed in the shape of an X. Since the room was rectangular, two of the shaft's side were longer, resulting in a diagonal cross that was flatter than the ones on the adjacent walls.

"Not seeing much, Blue!" Green said. "Maybe the other elevator's cables?"

BOOM! SHAKE!

"For all we know, the other one might fall too!" Blue surveyed the room again. Then it hit him.

"The beams! We can use the support beams to climb our way out of here!"

"That's crazy!"

BOOM! SHAKE!

"This whole thing is crazy!"

"Good point! On 'three!'"

BOOM! SHAKE!

"THREE!" they said as they leaped to the nearest beam. Thankfully, they both hung onto their target and climbed up safely. And good thing too. The elevator shook again and broke its cable. There it went, shooting down the shaft and landing with a loud CRASH about fifty yards down. The cable had broken off right below the twins, so they didn't sustain any injuries from a flailing line of steel.

"Talk about cuttin' it close!" Blue said.

"We aren't done yet! We gotta climb and stay ahead of the smoke!"

Blue nodded and took the lead as he climbed on one of the diagonal beams at the diagonal cross. Luckily for them, the beam had some depth to it. The part they were standing on was a yard-and-a-half wide. He had a hard-enough time just doing that because of how awkward it was to climb up. Next, he climbed the diagonal beam up and leaped for the horizontal one above him. He was able to snag it, and he shimmied right to get up.

"Okay," Blue said as he helped Green up. "There's gotta be an easier way of doing this. We won't last much longer if we don't pick up the pace." Blue looked around and got an idea. "I've got it! Watch this!"

Blue backed up to the wall and took a big step, leaping off the beam.

"What're you—?!" Green shut himself up as Blue was able to make it to the opposite side of the beam and up one level. Since they were on one the shaft's wider walls, it meant that the gap between the walls was at its shortest, so Blue was able to use that to his advantage and clear the gap while getting some altitude because his powerful legs were able to propel him up.

"We do this the whole way up. Watch for debris!"

"Okay!" Green said as he did like his brother. He got as close to the wall as he could, took a running start, and cleared the gap to reunite with Blue. "You lead."

* * *

"Breaking News!" Sally said as she was given a few new notes on her news desk. "We have a fire out in the Central Sea tonight as an OilOcean oil rig has burst into flames. We now go to the Rascal, who is currently surveying the scene. Rascal, are there any new developments?"

"No," Amy replied in a purposely distorted voice to hide her identity. "As you can see, it's burning as strong as a forest fire out there."

"Rascal, this is Ken Khan. Do you know what may have caused the blaze?"

"Couldn't tell you from where I am. I know for a fact that it's ten miles off the city's coast and still going strong. I heard a boom and saw the burning wreck out in the distance."

"Anything else you can tell us about it?" Sally asked.

"Not at this time. I will try to keep you posted on any further developments. Rascal out."

"Thanks, Rascal. Stay tuned to the Acorn Media Group's 8 o'clock news for more as it happens."

* * *

"Please don't be destroyed," Robotnik said to himself. "Please don't be destroyed. Please don't be destroyed. Please don't be destroyed."

* * *

Their breathing was becoming more and more labored. The heat, the climbing, and the stress of everything was tuckering them out, but they still marched onward and upward. The crashes and booms were commonplace now as they were mindful of their surroundings. They hadn't slipped once yet.

"We there yet?!" Green asked.

Blue looked up and saw the elevator doors. He pointed up and said, "We're a few yards away from the bottom floor of the base. C'mon, we're almost out!"

"And just how are we supposed to get out?! The elevator doors are locked up!"

"Still working on that!"

Blue really didn't know how that going to happen. The fires from above them were starting to overheat the duo. The smoke wasn't helping either.

CRRRRREEEEEEEEEEAK!

"Brace yourself!" Green screamed.

CRRRRRRAAAAAAAASH!

Debris fell in greater numbers than before as the massive blast shook the beams they stood on. The crash came from the oil rig's large crane which had fallen onto the base, ripping open a large section of the floor underneath surface, shaking the base to its core and causing the other elevator's cables to snap. The vibrations also went all the way down the shaft and cracked it open in the middle. Below them, the shaft began to fill up with sea water as the liquid came from the newly formed hole in the wall.

"Whoa!" Blue began to fall into the chasm because of the vibrations, but Green grabbed him by one of his back quills and pulled him against the wall. After a heavy sigh, Blue said, "I owe you."

"Don't mention it."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

They shielded themselves again as a fiery explosion came from one of the doors above them.

"There!" Blue pointed. The explosion had blown open one of the shaft's elevator doors on the first level of the base. "That's our ticket out of here!"

"Then what're we waiting for?!"

Blue and Green were about five beam levels below the open door, so they went back to work as Blue went first and leaped to the next level. Green followed suit.

The hanging elevator's cables were undone a little more.

Level-by-level they climbed until the open door was directly above them. To get there, they would need to go up one more level on the opposite wall, then jump across the chasm one last time to freedom. It was so close!

The hanging elevator's cables were undone a little more. This time, the creak was more evident.

Blue made his leap and made the jump. Now, he was level with the open door. He could see the hallway and how it was burnt because of the fire and recent explosion, yet it looked safe enough to walk on.

"Go!" Green said a level below. Blue nodded. The moment of truth.

His legs were tired, his arms were heavy, but he was ready. He took a big step and leaped, but he was a bit short. His midsection hit the corner hard, but he regained his composure quickly and grabbed the floor, hanging from it by only a hand.

"BLUE!"

"I'm okay! Gimme a sec!" Blue took a deep breath.

The hanging elevator's cables were undone a little more.

He reached for the ledge and was able to pull himself up to safety. When he got there, he laid on his back for a moment to catch his breath. He scaled it. He was almost home free. All that remained was his brother. Blue got back to his feet just as Green made his jump and was level with the door.

The hanging elevator's cables were undone a little more.

"Come on!" screamed.

Green got up against the wall and took his step, but stopped when a loud sound spooked him.

CRACK! SNAP!

The hanging elevator's cable had snapped, and it was coming down fast.

"Green! Watch out!"

It had plenty of broken, metal cable coming along for the ride, and the cable whipped wildly against the walls, making sparks when it hit the beams.

But the walls and beams weren't the only things the wild, broken cable hit.

After it passed, Blue looked up to his brother.

Green was hit. Two gruesome scratches were on his chest from the cable hitting him in the midsection. His arm was covering them up as best they could to stop the bleeding.

But that was the least of his problems.

Green's sudden stop and injury made him begin to lose his balance at the edge of the beam. Green reached out for his brother.

Blue screamed, "GREEN!"

Blue reached out from the door.

He wasn't nearly close enough to him.

Green tipped forward as he continued to reach at thin air, and there was no one to catch him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"GREEN! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Blue watched from his level as his brother fell into the dark chasm, disappearing into the black void.

He hung his head over the ledge with his arm still stretch out. His mouth ajar, he began to cry silently as he shut his eyes.

First CREAM.

Now Green.

The only family Blue had ever had.

Gone.

He opened his eyes after what seemed like an eternity. The situation was still the same. He didn't imagine any of it.

Green was gone. His brother and best friend was gone. And there wasn't a damn thing he could've done about it.

He should've been there to save him. But no, he just couldn't leap to save him, could he? But how could he? The scene was so unexpected that there was no way he could've seen it coming.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

His scream, he knew, fell on deaf ears. No one could hear him. No one could help him. He failed. And now, he'd have to deal with that for the rest of his life.

A crash came from above. Blue looked up and backed out of the shaft in time to dodge the falling debris. He panted loudly as the site burned around him.

What could he do now? Without Green or CREAM at his side, he was completely alone for the first time in his life. As he panicked like a schoolboy, he looked up and saw a smoldering logo. It was circular, and he could recognize it anywhere. It had a fantastic moustache and a cheesy grin that laughed at him. It was Dr. Robotnik's personal logo.

It was all because of him.

He drove them all to this.

He killed his parents, whomever they were. CREAM had asked the twins to stop him. Green couldn't help with that anymore, but Blue could. The doctor still had thousands of clones left in Mobotropolis. In a matter of days, he would begin the final phase of his plan for world domination.

But that didn't mean very much to Blue. As he saw the logo of his enemy, he remembered the promise that he and Green made to CREAM. He still had a job to do. He was going to make the doctor pay.

His face grew angrier and angrier at the logo. Blue stood up and punched the wall, letting out a loud scream as he did it.

With a new sense of purpose, he fled down the hall and found a set of doors. He burst through it and followed it down to a hatch on the floor. He opened it and looked down. It was a hatch that revealed a ladder that lead to some floating platforms underneath the rig. He was quick to go down the steps.

The platforms didn't move too much despite the waves, but that was on a normal day. The platforms were shakier than usual to stand on because of all the chaos and carnage going on with the oil derrick being up in flames.

Blue was taken back a bit since these were his first steps outside the base. He could see the flaming, floating debris on the surface of the Central Sea. The water was a bright orange and yellow from the dangerous flames.

But when he looked to the west, that's when he really took a step back. On the horizon was a city lit as brightly as a star. That was it. That was Mobotropolis. CREAM was right. They were off the eastern coast of the city.

The next thing he saw made him a little more frightful. He saw a light coming from a craft in the sky. It sounded like… helicopter blades? And sure enough, the craft reached the vessel. Blue managed to hide from its bright light, but he saw a familiar logo on the tail.

Robotnik was in that thing. His chopper hovered above the wrecked rig.

Blue knew this was his chance. With the 'copter now in hover mode for a few seconds, this was his opportunity to book it for the mainland. Blue presumed that Eggman would never think anyone or anything survived on the rig. If that was the case, and it looked like it probably was, then Blue could use that to his advantage.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

In a flash, a loud blast was made by Blue. In almost no time flat, he broke the sound barrier and made a mad dash for the city. The fire and destruction were so loud that the doctor didn't even hear the blast. It didn't take Blue very long to reach Mach 1 and then Mach 2 all while running on water.

* * *

"I… I… I don't believe it." The doctor surveyed the destruction of his base. "Are there any signs of life?"

"NOT AT FIRST GLANCE, DOCTOR. INITIATING THERMAL SCAN."

"That won't help, you stupid piece of scrap! The goddamn place is on fire!" The doctor threw his fist at the window. "Get a fire crew out here ASAP. One of ours. And don't let anyone dig around this place." He took another look at the flaming wreck. "I hope those hedgehogs are burning in hell now."

* * *

Still looking the scene, Amy could tell that something had flown out to the wreckage at sea because of the craft's flashing lights. She was still up on that rooftop and had seen the rig's crane on the top fall into the base. Eventually, Sally was going to have to bring her back on for a potential update on the events.

"T, the copter. Can you get a read on it?"

"On it," T responded. "Okay, got a live satellite feed. I think… well, I _know_ it's one of Robotnik's choppers."

"Why would he be out there? And why so quickly?"

"That rig is his since he owns the OilOcean company. Maybe he saw it and is checking up on it."

"But I though you said it was derel—, derrele—."

"Derelict."

"Yeah, that word."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Now what was that?" T asked.

"Don't know, but it sure was—." She stopped herself when she saw something in the water… and moving very fast! It was faster than a speeding bullet! And the mist it was kicking up was insane! "Lenses, zoom in on that."

They obeyed as Amy's eyes tried to keep up with the thing. She's never seen anything move that fast before! But as she tried to focus at the head of the speedy object she saw… a person? Wait, was that a hedgehog?!

"T…!"

"What the hell is that?!"

* * *

The fast hedgehog began to slow himself down as he approached the oncoming beach. Last thing he needed was to plow into somebody at this speed and accidentally kill them.

Eventually, he was slowed down enough where he skipped on the water for a few feet and then became submerged in it. As he swam to the surface, he found out he was only a few yards away from the empty beach. He resumed his swimming, determined to make it to dry land, though he did admit to himself that the cool water made the humid and sticky air easier to deal with.

* * *

"T, I think that _is_ someone!"

"But… that guy had to have been running at Mach 1 at the very least!"

"Whoever that person is, I need to get a better look. Looks like he's paddling to the beach."

"Amy, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I'm a journalist, T."

"I know that, but considering the fire out at sea and the… whatever that thing is, that maybe you should just come home and call it a night?"

"Not a chance."

Amy quickly shot a grapple line from her wristband and used it travel down the face of the building. When close enough to the ground, she released the line and hopped in her car, racing toward the beach known as Emerald Coast.

* * *

From a distance, he could see that there wasn't a soul on the beach. Just sand, few leftover towels, and beach umbrellas remained. It was undoubtedly busy during the day with the humidity and all, but he was just glad no one saw him.

As he paddled to the shore, his body ached. With each stroke, he felt his own exhaustion suffocate him more. But he had to keep pushing on.

When it was shallow enough, he put his feet down on the moist sand. He would gladly take the feel of squishy sand for the first time in his life, but that wouldn't happen since his flooded shoes were in the way of that.

Blue made his first landfall ever as he rose out of the water and knelt on the sand, nearly passing out as he breathed heavily. He was able to keep his composure for a few moments and stand back up. He looked ahead of him, and there it was. Mobotropolis and all of its bright lights. This was where he was born. It was his return, but he didn't feel like any prodigal son.

He turned around and looked into the distance. Ten miles away was the burning base. He caused one hell of a lightshow, that was for sure. People would start asking questions about how and why it blew up. But Blue didn't take satisfaction in the destruction of the place. To him, it was a giant tomb for Green.

Green.

Dead.

This was Blue's world now. He was in the city. He had lost his family. Everything he knew was a lie. The doctor still had 10,000 clones in the city.

Oh, nuts.

Blue suddenly remembered that he didn't have the flashdrive with the locations of the clones. Green had it in his sock. And now… and now….

A single tear rolled down Blue's cheek as his fists were clenched and shaking. The same went for his vengeful face and his entire body. The same flames that riddled the oil derrick in the distance were in his eyes.

"Are you happy, doctor?" he asked darkly. "Are you happy?! Well?! Are you?!" His voice began to rise in volume. "We did everything for you! Everything! We trained our asses off, you sheltered us, and for what?! Just so you could kill us in the end?! We gave you our all every day! You said we were going to save this city!" He took in a sharp breath of air. "And now I see your true colors, doctor. I see the man you really are. You're a murderer. A psychopath. A wild dog who needs to be put down! All those children! All those families! "

CREAM! Green! They gave you everything too! And you stabbed them in the back like you did me! You never loved us! We were just your playthings! And you know what I'm going to do to you, doctor?! Do you?! I am going to find you! I am going to put you through the same agony that Green and CREAM have felt! I am going to break your spine at every joint! I will tear off your arms and legs! I rip off your balls and roast them over an open fire! And when I've done all of that, I am going to rip out your heart and stuff it down your fat gut, you son-of-a-bitch! I'm going to kill you! You hear me?! I'm going to—!"

He stopped his wild yelling and thought back on it. His wicked face softened as he looked at his trembling hands and fingers. What was he saying? This wasn't him. Saying those things was one thing, but could he ever take a life? He wanted to take Eggman's for everything he'd done. But that wasn't how he was raised. Lie or not, CREAM raised him better than this. He owed it her to uphold that ideal, even if she was taken from him.

Taken.

That was an idea… and Blue knew it.

"No," he said as he looked down at the ground. "No. That's too easy. If I do that, you don't get justice. I am owed that." He then looked up at the flaming wreck.

"You took away my parents. You took away my life. You took away CREAM. And you took away Green. Everything. It's only fair I take everything from you. You have made me suffer, so I will make you suffer. You have built a magnificent empire, but that is where I can hurt you. Like you stole everything I loved, I will do the same to you. Every asset of yours that I can find, I will use it against you since that is what I am: your little Sonic Project. You told Green and I that we were going to save this city, doctor. That is exactly what I plan on doing. I will do anything to end your reign over this town. I won't stop until you're rotting in jail. And when all is said and done, I want you to know that everything I do is in Green's name, if my name isn't Bl—." He paused. "No… Blue is dead. He died with his brother. I am… I am…." There was only one name he could be. That name would be beautifully ironic since it was the title of Eggman's plans for world domination, but also his defeat.

"Sonic," he stated. "I am Sonic."

SLAM!

The blue speedster froze and looked behind him to find the source of the sound. He didn't need to take very long as a car was now on the road near the beach and under a street light. He could see someone cautiously walking around the front of the automobile, looking directly at him. Whoever this person was, he could tell that it was a young woman. She had pink fur and was a hedgehog.

She stared at him for a few seconds as he stared back. Neither of them knew what to do. She looked left and right. It looked like she was looking for someone. The problem was that he was the only one there. Her gaze went back to him and then the burning wreckage in the distance.

"No…," she softly said. "Did… did you…?"

ZOOM!

The sand went flying as she shielded her eyes from it. When she figured she was safe, she opened her eyes, and he was gone. Whoever the guy was, he wasn't there anymore. But that wasn't possible. No one's that fast… right?

As her eyes bugged out, she said, "T?"

"Y-Yeah?" T responded.

"Please tell me you got that?"

"Uh-huh. So… what does this mean?"

"I… I don't know, T," she said as she back to the burning derrick. "I don't know."

* * *

His westbound running came to halt in the middle of a dark area full of trees. The walkways were well-lit, and the light from the city bounced off the nearby lake. It looked like he was all alone, at least for the moment.

"Great job, Blue. You just had to zip away, didn't you?" He stopped himself. "Sonic. I'm Sonic. I have to get used to that."

He was hoping that no one else noticed his high-speed antics. The last thing he needed was to reveal himself. Keeping a low profile was vital, at least for the moment. He'd have to make a move against Robotnik at some point.

He yawned.

'At some point' would have to start tomorrow. He had one hell of a night, for better or worse. His shoes were wet, the only place he called home was burning in the sea, and he was all alone.

He had nowhere to go. Looking around, he saw a hobo sleeping on one of the park benches. Deciding against heisting it away, he continued looking around for somewhere to sleep.

Suddenly, it hit him. Literally.

Sonic didn't notice the big oak in front of him and walked right into it. A little dazed, he regained his composure and looked at the big thing. It had to have been there for a while, given its size. And the branches on it were big enough to easily support him.

He hesitated for a moment, trying to keep his options open, but he didn't have any other options. Having made up his mind, he jumped to grab one branch.

So, this is what a tree branch truly felt like. Rough, course, solid. It was his first time touching real wood.

He was able to climb safely until he got to a safe elevation. He was about fifteen feet above the ground, and he had found a strong, wide branch to rest on. Settling in, took off his shoes and socks and hung them from a nearby branch so they could dry out.

With a heavy sigh, he sat upright on the branch, resting his head against the main part of the tree. Before dozing away, he took into account that this was first time that he wouldn't be sleeping in the same room as Green. Again, he was completely alone. As he closed his eyes, he let out a whimper and tear.

He missed his brother. Being here without Green didn't sit right with him. But this was his life now. It was all up to him. The pressure of it all made him cry even more, and it wasn't before too long that he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I'm shocked that this didn't need to get split into two parts (at least on the deviantArt version). Shocked, I tell you!

But how about this section, eh? This was a mammoth chapter to write that sent me into writer's block shortly after, but damn, was it worth getting this one out. Green's dead, Eggman may very well be in deep shit, and Sonic finally takes on his titular identity. Oh, and Amy and T find something that more than stunning. Overall, a good chapter, or at least that's what I think.

Next time, I'll give you guys another chapter 2-for-1. Chapter 7 is _LOADED_ in its world building and exposition, and chapter 8 gets the plot going again. Expect that on 8/3.

As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	7. Rascal Hunting

**CHAPTER VII – RASCAL HUNTING**

 **SATURDAY, JUNE 25** **TH** **, 2016**

He had enough. He had made his statements. He addressed the masses and press corps. He had lost a thousand clones and a big base. He had lost that brewery acquisition. He had to email all of his Project clients to tell them there might be a delay in their shipments. He had gotten ripped a new one about said delay as well.

A robot entered his study to find its builder hunched over his desk, behind his computer, and rubbing his temples.

"What is it?" Robotnik growled.

"JUST NEEDED TO TELL YOU THAT THE AREA HAS BEEN QUARANTINED, DOCTOR. NO ONE WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE BASE."

"Good. How goes the salvage operation?"

"TOO SOON TO TELL. THE TWINS DETROYED A LOT OF THE BASE."

Angered, the doctor took the brass paperweight on his desk and hurled it at the robot, catching it right in its head. "I know they did a number on it, you overgrown socket wrench!" He sighed harshly. "But at the very least they're dead." He turned back to the robot that now had a dent on its forehead. "Leave me. I have more business to attend to."

* * *

This wasn't possible. What he did shouldn't be possible. How could someone just run on water and bolt away in the blink of an eye?

She had been watching the footage for a few hours now, trying to make sense out of it. As she continued to watch, the questions seemed to pile up. Who was he? Where did he come from?

"A, what could you possibly still be looking for?" T asked.

"Don't know," Amy said. "I'll know it when I see it."

"Okay, he's a modern marvel. He's a supped-up speedster. Are we done?"

"Have you clocked his speed yet?"

T groaned through his microphone. "Yeah, and he went a lot faster than you and I thought."

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say he broke the sound barrier."

"That's low-balling it. The speed of sound is about 768 mph."

"We went faster than that?"

"He was pushing Mach 2 by my calculations."

"And how fast is that?"

"Try 1534 mph."

Amy's eyes bugged out. "He went _that_ fast?!"

"I said he was pushing it. By my estimates, he topped out at around 1400, give or take 50 mph. To put it mildly, he was going at speeds that would rival a SR-71 Blackbird."

"But how could he do it? And on a dime?"

"A, you're not going to get that question answered anytime soon. For now, drop it."

"Somebody must've seen him."

"If someone had, they wouldn't be talking about just the OilOcean rig fire from last night."

"Fair point," Amy said as she flipped on the TV and took a swig of the coffee that Ken Khan bought her.

"Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the owner of OilOcean by means of Robotnik Enterprises," Sally began as she broadcast the news, "said in a statement that the fire that occurred in the Central Sea oil derrick was most likely the result of out-of-repair maintenance given that the rig hasn't been used since the early 1990s. He went onto to say that the rig still had a few barrels of unrefined oil still on it, and that one stray spark from a faulty metal coupling could have caused the blaze. As it stands, Robotnik's personal legion of robots were able to control the blaze before any serious damage could be done to the Central Sea and its sea life, thought its still billowing smoke right now. The derrick is currently under quarantine as Robotnik Enterprises officials are currently investigating the wreck."

"I'll bet," Amy said, not believing Robotnik's statement for one minute. She saw the derrick the previous night up in flames out in the middle of the Central Sea, just before she saw that hedgehog—.

Hey, wait a minute!

Having an idea, she said. "T, pull up our first footage of that hedgehog."

"I told you to drop it!" T exclaimed in frustration.

"Just do it."

T groaned, but he did it. Soon enough, Sally's reporting on the screen was replaced with last night's footage.

"Start from where we first saw him." The video played, and he appeared soon enough kicking up of salt water in his wake. "Now rewind and notice where he starts." T did so.

"What are you trying to accomplish with this?"

"Where's the only place that the hedgehog could've started running from?"

"Uhh…."

"That oil derrick."

"What are you exactly getting at? Are you suggesting that the speedster was somehow the cause of the wreck?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But what I can assume is that he started from there. And T, don't you think it's funny that an abandoned oil derrick would suddenly go up in flames the same time we see a supersonic hedgehog come from it?"

Amy could hear her partner mull over the idea. His sigh was a sign of victory for her. "Okay, you might have something."

"Pull up everything you have on that oil rig. Sally said it was abandoned in the '90s. Find me an exact date."

"Let's see," T said as he clicked away at his computer. His search results were then posted onto Amy's TV. "Okay, the oil derrick in the Central Sea is only one in Mobotropolis waters. Per news reports, an accident involving a small oil spill happened there in June of 1990. The spill caused a few injuries that left a few workers in critical condition, but they ultimately survived their near-death experiences. Robotnik, in response, sent a few prototype oil-containment robots to clean up the mess. Within a week, the spill was contained. But there's another article that details how Robotnik had his robots renovate the derrick after the spill so no more accidents like that could occur. The strange thing is that when the city statute went up for vote, city officials nixed the derrick's re-opening, citing paranoia-influenced reasons since they didn't want another catastrophe, however minor and contained the accident was. That vote took place on September 13, 1990. That must've ticked off Robotnik. Even back then, Eggman had all of the city's big officials in his pocket."

"But that doesn't make sense," Amy said. "Eggman and Robotnik have been associated with each other with the '70s. Why would the Eggman meddle in his partner's business?"

"Maybe he has an environmental side?"

"I don't think that's it. Hmm… a cover-up maybe?"

"A cover-up for what?"

"Don't know. Maybe it has something to do with our speedster? But we're not going to know more than that from the text itself. We need some names. Check who was on the city council in 1990. Maybe we can ask them a few questions."

"Okay… the council was still only seven members strong like it is today… 'kay, got the list, but you aren't going to like it."

"Let me guess. They're all dead."

"Yeses for six of them. Of the six the dead, three died from natural causes, two from car accidents, and the only one still alive killed the last one and is currently serving an indefinite sentence in at Mahkra Asylum in Mahtog City."

"Alright, what about other authors of this story? There had to have been other more outlets that broke the story."

"Hmm… most are either dead or had their reputations ruined."

"But you said 'most.' Not 'all.'"

"Yeah, we have two writers still alive and credible. They helped create the articles I cited, and… huh. You'll never guess who."

"Who?"

"Max and Alicia Acorn."

"Really? I suppose it's not too unbelievable. They did write articles back when the company first started out."

"Yeah, and they covered stories with the other AMG co-founders."

"Jules and Bernadette. Hmm. Suppose I better give Max and Alicia a call, see if they remember anything else."

With that, she picked up her work phone and dialed her bosses' office. One ring… two rings… maybe they were in the green room in the studio watching their daughter do the morning news?

"Maximillian and Alicia Acorn's Office. This is Alicia Acorn speaking."

"Alicia? It's Amy. I'm not interrupting something, am I?"

"Not at the moment, Rose. Why?"

"Is Max with you?"

"Yes, he is. Did you need to talk to him?"

"Actually, I need to ask both of you something."

"Alright, let me put you speaker." CLICK! "Max, Amy needs our help with something."

"What did you need, Amy?" he asked.

"The oil rig off the coast that went up in flames last night."

"What about it?"

"In 1990, you and the Hedgehogs wrote a pair of articles regarding its oil spill and its forced shutdown. Do you remember those articles?"

"I remember the stories, yes."

" _We_ remember the stories," Alicia corrected. "What's this about?"

"I was just doing a little digging about the oil derrick and wondered if you knew anything else about it. Like maybe you have some old notes or remember anything else?"

"We may have something here in the office. Max, those old things should be in the filing cabinet. Look in the '1990' section."

"Right. Be back in a moment, Amy," he said as he walked away. A few moments passed by, but he returned with them. "Alright, I found them." Amy could hear him put the papers on his wife's desk. They busily scanned the document, trying to refresh their memories about the matter. "Nothing else in the text, I'm afraid. But I suppose that doesn't help you, does it?"

"No," Amy said.

"However, we do have a few spare notes from the case."

"I'll take whatever I can get."

"Tell you what, Amy," Alicia began, "I'll have Lupe scan these and send them to you as soon as possible since we will have other things to attend to soon enough. Does that sound alright?"

"Sounds perfect. Thanks."

"No problem. But I have to ask: why are you doing so much digging into an old case like this?"

"I just think there's more to this story than meets the eye. Call it a hunch."

"Alright, Amy. Is there anything else you need?"

"Nothing at all. Thanks, guys."

"No problem, Amy."

CLICK!

"Don't get too involved in this case today, A," T said through the speakers. "You still have that date at the docks tonight."

"Yes, I remember, _mom_ ," Amy mocked.

"Which one? Yours or mine?"

RING! RING! RING!

"Hold on, T." She picked it up. "Amy Rose's office. Amy Rose speaking. … Mr. Brett Rodgers, you aren't asking me to do a coffee run, right? … Oh, what did you need? … Wait, what?! How did Mob City get—?! Ooh! But City already has Ronaldo! How the heck did Mob City get Messi too?! … A $300 million transfer fee? Wow. Grrr… I hate those boys in blue, but I'll give 'em credit for swinging Messi. … Oh, you need to me to—. … Uh-huh… um, yeah. Sure, I can be there. I assume we'll get lunch afterwards? … No, not there! That place is only good for coffee, not food! Besides, that last two times I ate there, I got food poisoning. … Well, _that_ place is always good. … Okay. Tell Sally and Ken that they can meet us there. Okay, I'll see you in a bit, Brett. Oh, and give my best to Bill. Sorry to hear that happened. Bye."

CLICK!

"What did Mr. Rodgers want?" T asked.

"Well, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, and I happen to be his AMG neighbor, so he asked if I would be his—if I could be his—neighbor."

"Oh, for cryin' out—!"

"Cool it, T, I'm just messing with you. Brett needs me to fill in as his cameraman at Whitecliff Bank Park for a press conference. Mobotropolis City [FC] just got finalized the transfer of Lionel Messi to Mob City for $300 million."

"You hate MCFC!"

"Don't rub it in. His usual cameraman, Bill, had to leave to take his son to the emergency room. The little guy ran into a tree at school playing soccer and broke his nose."

"Ow! That sounds like it hurts!"

"Well, I didn't feel a thing."

"Amy, that's horrible to say," T said as he chuckled.

"It's called 'dark humor' for a reason. After I get done with that, we'll head out to lunch."

"Just make sure—."

"We'll be done hours before tonight. Cool you J-E-T-S jets, jets, jets," she said as she picked up her things.

* * *

The purple desert was desolate as always. He was alone once more. But where were the robots? They had always come to him when he was here.

Instead, something more haunting than the dark sky and lightning above him stuck with him. He could hear voices. It wasn't his lady's voice. It sounded… masculine. He swore he knew the voice from somewhere.

He turned around quickly. Strange. He could've sworn from the voices around him that someone had spoken into his ear. Alas, there wasn't, and the voices grew louder.

"Stop," he said. "Please stop."

If only, it egged the voices on more as the volume increased. Louder and louder, they drove the hedgehog crazy. Always louder and louder.

"Stop!" he screamed. "That's enough!"

They didn't care. They only grew louder and louder still. And what were they saying?

"Why didn't you save me?"

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The rumble of thunder was only thing he could hear after that. His tormentors had been silenced, for now at least. But he knew he didn't save him. He saw it happen. He was a witness. He didn't help Green in his time of need. He didn't react fast enough.

The winds began to encircle the blue hedgehog as the purple sand underneath his sneakers were making a form behind him. He knew the form too well. It was always a lavender purple, and it was in the form of a woman. She began to speak.

"… You boys are the greatest things to ever happen to us. I know you can't understand me, but I still can't say it enough. I don't know what'll happen to you, but I know you'll be okay. I know you'll make it. You two are young, but you are very strong. I know you'll be okay. I just know it. Eli, I love you. David, I love you…."

Her voice began trail off as she disappeared into the desert once again. He had so many questions, but he could never get a word in edgewise.

Another voice began to talk to him in the desert. This was one was more masculine than the last.

"Get up!"

Get up? Get up where?

"Wake up, you damn freeloader!"

'Freeloader?'

"GET UP!"

Sonic shook his head and opened his eyes. It was hot and humid, and he had worked up a sweat. Whether it was from his intense dream or the weather, he didn't know. Now what on Chaos's green earth had woken him up?

"Get the hell down, you goddamn freeloader!"

He looked down to see a red-haired, middle-aged man with a matching mustache and goatee dressed in dark blue from his pants to his hat. Looked like he was a police officer or something.

"Hurry up before I shoot your—!"

"Alright! Alright! I'm coming down!"

Sonic quickly put on his now-dry socks and shoes and carefully climbed down the mighty oak until he was on the pavement. He then turned around to face the lion cop. Whoever this guy was, he had a good foot of height on Sonic.

"Are you some kind of police officer?" Sonic asked.

"What do you think, pincushion?" this guy might as well have been a snake since he hissed that to Sonic.

"I'll say… yes. Officer… Myers?" Sonic asked as he read the name on the chest.

"Detective," he corrected. "Detective Roland Myers. Now how many times do I have to you freaking hobos about sleeping in the park?!" Oh, yeah. Not a friendly guy at all.

"I wouldn't know. First time doing it. Hell, I just rolled in from out-of-town."

"That so? You some kind of drifter?"

Sonic chuckled. "In more ways than one."

"Well then…," Myers began. BOOF! Sonic clenched his stomach as the detective rammed his nightstick into the hedgehog's midsection. "Welcome to Mobotropolis, you ugly bastard."

"Not…," COUGH! "Not a nice gesture." Then Sonic remembered something that CREAM had said in her last message. The cops in this town were pretty corrupt. This one fit the bill to a T. "Listen, pal—."

"No, you listen, punk. If I ever see you sleeping here ever again, I'll shoot you without a regret. A drifter like you won't fill up a funeral home. Understand?" Sonic scowled at him, but to avoid trouble, he nodded. "Good. Now get the hell out of here."

Sonic began walking away. " _So, this is the big city_ ," he thought. " _Okay, if I need to stop the doc, where should I start?_ "

Come to think of it, he didn't know this city at all. He was going in blind as a bat. Survival knowledge or not, if he wasn't careful, he might do something that'd end him. If he was going to find Robotnik, he would have to get to know the city first. Where could he do that? Then it hit him.

Turning around, Sonic saw the officer walking away. "Excuse me, Detective Myers?" The red-haired lion turned around to scowl at the hedgehog. "Where might I find the city's library?"

"Piss off!"

Sonic scoffed and shook his head. " _Should've known better_."

"You again?! How many times do I have to tell you to not sleep here?!" Sonic turned around to see the cop at a park bench berating an actual hobo. "Answer me!" SLAP! "Y'know what?" He began reaching inside his pocket. "I've had enough of seeing your dirty body here!"

Sonic knew what that hand motion meant. This guy needed to be taught a lesson. He ran over to the cop who had now drawn his weapon.

"Don't shoot!" the hobo screamed.

The cop's finger was in the trigger, but it was quickly removed as Sonic quickly disarmed the man.

"WHAT?!" Detective Myers saw Sonic with his sidearm in his right hand. "Give. Me. My. Gun!"

"Alright, Myers." As he offered it to him, Sonic took it back, quickly releasing the 9mm pistol's magazine and the bullet that was already in the chamber. Next, he quickly disassembled the rest of the pistol, revealing a pile of metal in his hand. Myers was stunned to see anyone take apart a gun that quickly.

"You little!" Myers said as he dropped the parts and drew his nightstick. He took a swing at Sonic, but the hedgehog was easily able to dodge the first three swings. On the fourth one, Sonic grabbed Myers's wrist and gripped it fiercely. The slight cracking meant someone's wrist was getting crushed. "Ah!" he screamed as he dropped the stick.

Sonic shoved the man aside and caught the thick piece of plastic. Myers grabbed his injured wrist and looked at Sonic. He was more than a little pissed off at him. The hedgehog held the stick with both hands and began bending both sides down.

SNAP!

Little pieces of black plastic scattered everywhere as the two biggest pieces were in Sonic's hands. Myers watched in disbelief as his nightstick was broken in two. He was now completely weaponless.

Throwing the pieces aside, Sonic leaped at Myers, tackling him and pinning him to the ground. Myers struggled, but Sonic had him in the compromising position of having him face down on the concrete with his arm twisted behind his back.

"I should've killed you when I had the chance!" Myers spat. "Now get off me before make your life a living hell!" Sonic applied a little pressure. "Ahhh! Get off me!" Sonic took his left hand and punched the back of the man's head.

"Listen, Myers. I have been lied to and rudely woken up. I had a long night. I saw my brother die, my house burned to the ground, and I'm living on the street. I am the _last_ person you want to screw with. Now… how about you answer my question from before? Where is the library?"

"Screw… Screw you." A little more pressure…. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop!"

"Then tell me where the library is!"

"Just south of the park! Can't be more a quarter mile away!"

"And which way is south?" Myers was able to free a hand a point to across the park's pond.

"Thank you… what was your name again? Roland?" Myers growled. "Thanks for the help. And if I ever see you threaten another innocent person, I'll break the other one."

"Other o—?"

SNAP!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Pleasure doing business with you," Sonic said as he got off. As the cop screamed in pain, Sonic turned to the hobo and smiled.

"Thanks, stranger," the hobo said before darting away.

Sonic mused that his activities with the cop were his morning workout, just like on the base. And what happened after the morning workout? His daily lesson, although this time, he would get his lesson with 100% more library.

As he started to jog around the pond, Sonic remembered that he didn't get the chance to formally wash off. That was also something that followed his morning workout. He didn't have shampoo, much less soap, but the water was right there, and he was still filthy from the previous night.

Taking a quick detour, he hopped in and quickly scrubbed off as much filth as possible. The fish might not have appreciated it, but he didn't have any other options. As clean as he could be, he climbed out of the water and vibrated quickly to lose the remaining moisture.

Now dry as one could be against the humidity, he resumed his jog southward out of the park. When he got out of it, he saw a busy city square with people both animal and human. Every species of Mobian could be seen as he saw shoppers at local kiosks. Sticky conditions or not, it was a sight to behold for the young man. Such a scene! Such commerce! Actual People!

Sonic took his time walking down the square and taking all of it in. It was very hard to do. He had never seen this many people in one place. Hell, he hadn't been around this many people at one time! The sights, smells, and sounds were making his head spin. It was difficult for him to wrap his head around it all.

"W-Wow," he sighed. "How could a city like this be bad?" Then he remembered what happened five minutes ago. "Oh, right."

GRUMBLE!

Sonic took notice to his rumbling midsection. It was way past his breakfast time. It had to be at least 10 or 11 o'clock.

He looked around to try and find something to munch on. Problem was that there was a lot to choose from. Another problem was that he didn't have any way of paying for it.

"This may be a problem."

Suddenly, something exotic came across his nose. Whatever it was, it smelled… heavenly! Sonic turned around and followed the scent to a small, but busy stand. It had bottles of water on the counter that were bathing in ice. Behind the stand was a heavier set man with a black handlebar mustache, a goofy outfit, and a hearty smile. He passed along encased meat in a long bun that was topped with what looked like pepper jack cheese and chili.

"Man, that looks good."

GRUMBLE!

Part of Sonic didn't want to intrude on the man, much less beg him for food. On the other hand, he had a serious hankering for whatever he was selling.

"I need two chili dogs!" the big customer said.

Sonic would need to decide if this was truly what he wanted. Would he steal to please his stomach?

He sighed. "I'll have to do it another time."

Turning back to the south, he continued on and saw a building that looked sported Greco-Roman architecture. On an arch above the entrance, it read in gold letters "MOBOTROPOLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY". This was his spot, and he jogged up the steps to the very top, marveling at the magnificent marble columns that supporting the entry way.

The automatic doors slid for Sonic when he got close enough, and a refreshing wave of cold air enveloped him. "Oooooohhhhhh," he said blissfully. "That feels goooooooood!" Euphoria aside, he strolled in past a second set of sliding doors and walked toward the front desk. Behind it was an older coyote woman.

"Good morning, young man. My, my! What a handsome man you are!" she flirted.

"Well, you don't look bad yourself," Sonic replied, flirting right back. That made the older woman blush and feel young again. "I like the earrings. Sapphire?"

"Good guess, but no. Blue diamond. It was my late husband's present for our 25th anniversary. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Well, first off, your husband had a great taste in jewelry."

"He was a jeweler."

Sonic chuckled. "That explains that. Secondly, I need access to a computer. Do you have one that I can use?"

"Second floor. If you walk up the stairs to your right, there'll be a computer lab on the left side. There should be one for you to use."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. If you have any other questions, I'll try my best to answer them."

"That's all we can do in life, isn't it? Thanks again."

Sonic then turned and briskly walked up the flight of stairs and found the computer lab. It honestly caught him a little off-guard that the library was as empty as it was. The A/C should've been an attraction given the humidity outside. This looked like the main floor, but it might as well have been a ghost-town.

Sonic sat down at one of the free monitors and used the guest access as seen on the corner of the monitor in the form of a small, laminated piece of paper. " _First time using one of these in a long while_ ," he thought. CREAM had once brought in a laptop to the brothers during one their lessons a few years back to teach them the basics of using a computer should they need to use one.

Opening a Chrome browser, he was about to type in the search bar up at the top, but he remembered something. " _Where do I start? Hmm… how about the city of Mobotropolis itself? Yeah, it's probably for the best that I know a thing or two about the city if I'm going to find those clone sites._ " He typed the city name in the search bar and clicked the first link he saw, a Wikipedia page of the city. For the next few minutes, he scanned the page to see if there were any particular facts he should know about the city. And boy, there was a lot to take in.

The first thing he found out was that the city was split into six distinct neighborhoods: Knothole, Amusement Mile, North Res, South Res, the Industrial District, and Angel Island. Angel Island was the geographical center of the city with other five neighborhoods surrounding it. Knothole to its north, Amusement Mile to its northwest, North Res to its west, South Res to its southwest, the Industrial District to its south, and the Central Sea was to the east of the entire city. All the neighborhoods were separated by a body of water—almost exclusively rivers except for between South Res and the Industrial District, which was separated by the Tampa Bay. There was also the Echidna Tribe National Forest just to the north of the city.

The next thing was that the city had a rich history as it was an unusual colonial territory. Mobotropolis was technically founded in August 1625 by the Soleannan settlers. Those pilgrims set out for the "New World," which is present-day Northamer. Their goal was to conquer land in the name of Soleanna to expand the country's global empire, find new resources, and spread their Protestant beliefs. Little did the Soleannans know that their empiric rival, Spagonia, was also sending a band of settlers to the New World to do the exact same thing, save for religion (it was Catholicism for the Spagonians). The two countries wanted in on the New World when word came in from fellow empirical rival Saxony that they had successfully created a settlement in Northamer (present-day Station Square, which is north of Mobotropolis by about 120 miles).

Both missions arrived in present-day Mobotropolis at almost the same time. The Soleannans arrived first by mere days and settled in present-day Knothole. Two nights later, the Spagonians made landfall in the south, where the Industrial District is located today. Despite the two countries being hated rivals, the two settlements saw no need to fight since they personally had no animosity toward one another.

Both settlements were approached by the area's natives: The Echidna Tribe. Learning to trust their new neighbors was predictably a hassle, but all of the groups were able to come together and live in relative peace for a few years in their communities. Over that time, the indigenous Echidnas learned the customs and languages of both settlements while some were converted to different religions and began to intermarry.

That peace, however, was tested in January 1627 when war broke out between the Echidnas and their long-hated enemies: The Naked Mole Rats. While the Echidnas were more peaceful, the Naked Mole Rats were savages that were known for their guerilla war tactics.

The Echidna Tribe was outnumbered by their enemies and asked their Soleannan and Spagonian friends to help them in their fight. Both settlements were willing to let the Echidnas fight their own battles, but a daring raid had occurred in the colony's square. The Naked Mole Rats mercilessly attacked and maimed several Echidnas, Soleannans, and Spagonians. To make matters worse, the Echidna Tribe's chief elder had given his two oldest daughters to the governors of the two settlements as a sign of peace. Those women were raped and killed, and their children were brutally beaten, but they would survive.

Unsurprisingly, the Spagonians and Soleannans agreed to help their Echidna friends in fighting their new enemy. Because of the technological advances of the settlers, the combined group of settlers and Echidnas were too much for the Naked Mole Rats. Within a matter of weeks, the Mole Rat numbers had been cut so drastically that it almost spelled their extinction. However, the allied group showed mercy on those Naked Mole Rats who surrendered. The Naked Mole Rat Tribe was defeated officially on March 28, 1627, and those who had surrendered were able to live in the combined settlement so long as they obeyed the laws.

The combined effort of the three groups warranted a letter to be written to the Soleannan and Spagonian governments telling them of their glorious cooperation. Unfortunately, the motherlands saw their interaction with rival empires and "indigenous savages" as an act of treason, so they cut all ties with the colonies, leaving them to die. Spagonia and Soleanna considered their attempts at expanding into the New World a failure and decided to try expansion elsewhere, a mistake that would cost them over 200 years later.

With their motherlands now turning their backs on them, the Echidna elders and settlement leaders argued and debated their future. Deciding that they could survive on their own, they made their combined settlement into a large city that was independent from the rest of the world. They declared their community "Mobotropolis." The city's name comes from various words from the three groups' native languages. "Mobo" was the Echidna word for "earth." "Trop" was the Soleannan word for "water." "Polis" was the Spagonian word for "safety." When put together, the city's name means "the safest place on earth and water".

For centuries, the city remained an independent city-state until 1852 when it was offered admittance into the United Federation, a group of cities and countries from across the world that allied themselves with one another to promote freedom, trade, and international cooperation. The "UF" as it is referred to, was created when Saxony's time as the global empirical leader came to an end (Saxony was able to fully control of Northamer since Spagonia and Soleanna withdrew, resulting in the empirical collapses of both Soleanna and Spagonia. With them out of Northamer, Saxony could expand further into the continent and gain valuable resources. The Station Square settlement eventually expanded southward toward Mobotropolis to further the Saxony international brand.). The UF is known as the world's greatest power since it is supported by its military organization: the Guardian Units of Nations, or "G.U.N." for short.

For the various areas of Mobotropolis, Sonic continued to read more about the six neighborhoods (see art/The-Sonic-Project-Teaser-Map-649801941 for the actual map). Firstly, there was Angel Island, which was separated by the Allegheny Passage, an extension of the Allegheny River that forks north and south at the west end of Angel Island. Angel Island gets its name from the Echidna Tribe myth about how it was once a flying island that was powered by seven magical jewels, called Chaos Emeralds, and the jewels' controller: The Master Emerald. However, a great battle occurred that incurred the wrath of Chaos. Because of this, Angel Island was cursed to be grounded forever.

Angel Island was the city's old-time downtown. The architecture on the north side was influenced by the Soleannans settlers while the south side was inspired by the Spagonians. Architecture aside, many of the city's governmental buildings are located on the northeastern section of the island (city hall, the 1st Mobotropolis Police Department Precinct Building, etc.). As the cultural hub, it's the second-most toured area of the city (the first being Amusement Mile) because of its older architectural styles, sports stadiums and teams, shops, and the world-famous Central Park (which is in the heart of the island and is shaped like a playing card diamond).

The west side was where the Allegheny River split to become the Allegheny Passage, but just north of that split is Eutaw Cove. Eutaw Cove is best known as home run ball territory as the small Eutaw peninsula is home to Oriole Park at Nedmac Yards and the Mobotropolis Orioles of the Mobian League of Baseball, or MLB. Home run balls are known to fly out of the ballpark in right field and land in the water. Several Orioles fans camp out in the cove before and after the game in kayaks and boats in hopes of paddling toward a home run ball. In addition to baseball, the western side also plays host to two forms of football. Mickey Trafford Stadium, also called "Old Trafford," is home to the Mobotropolis Spectres of the Northamer Football League, or NFL. Old Trafford is more well-known for being the home of Mobotropolis United FC (also known as the Red Devils, MUFC, and Mob U) of the Mobian Premier League, or MPL.

The east side of the Angel Island is home to the Mobotropolis Wharf—a famous area on the northeast side of the island that's known for its fresh fish and rich seafood restaurants. It is also home to the Emerald Coast, a large beach that stretches from the south of the Wharf to the southeast corner of the island.

Finally, the north side of the island is the home of Mobotropolis State University, home of the MSU Wolf Pack (its nickname comes from the Wolf Pack Tribe, who lived in peace with the Echidnas before the settlers came). One of two major colleges in the city, it sits on the north extension of the Allegheny Passage and is a member of the Great 8 Conference.

Just to the south of Angel Island, across the south extension of the Allegheny Passage, was the Industrial District. Best known to as the city's blue-collar district, it's where most of the city's more physically demanding jobs are located. The docks stretch from the southern tip of Tampa Bay to the southern city limits on the Central Sea coast; they're also the second-largest docks system in the world only to Station Square, which is larger by a mere 50 square feet. The Industrial District is home to other businesses such as Ferrum Steelworks, the Atlantis Brewery, the OilOcean Refinery, Robotnik Robotics, and the city's waste disposal and water treatment plants.

To the west of the Industrial District (and southwest of Angel Island) was the South Res neighborhood. South Res and the Industrial District hold the distinction of being the only neighborhoods that are not completely separated by a river. They're mostly separated by the Tampa Bay, but are connected by land to the south of the bay.

South Res and its northern counterpart, North Res, are named "Res" since they are almost purely residential areas. They fit more along the lines of suburbs to Mobotropolis, even though Mobotropolis no longer has any suburban sister-cities.

Though about 1.5 million of the city's inhabitants live in South Res, it's inhabitants were poorer than those in North Res (North Res is the home to most of the middle-class families in Mobotropolis, and that's all that needs to be said about that neighborhood). South Res is where the more economically challenged live, and the area as a whole is a testament to that. While the areas closest to North Res and the outer city limits aren't bad, the remaining areas are rundown and in a severe state of disrepair. As a result, South Res is the city's ghetto, and is a hotbed for criminal lords and gang turf wars. The worst part of the neighborhood and Mobotropolis is the section in between Interstate 95 and the Tampa Bay. Crime is at its worst is this area as hundreds of murders and drug deals happen each year. It isn't out of the question to find dead bodies at the bottom of the western side of Tampa Bay.

Just north of North Res across the Allegheny River is Amusement Mile, the smallest neighborhood in the city. The neighborhood is Mobotropolis's most tourist-visited area with its many attractions. Attractions include Never Lake (a popular body of water that is a hot bed for muskellunge/musky, pike, small- and largemouth bass, perch, and walleye), the Never Lake Pier and its subsequent amusement park, Stardust Speedway (an IndyCar racetrack that hosts two regular season races per year as well as the sport's all-star race), the Acorn Media Group Center (home to the Mobotropolis Penguins of the Northamerian Hockey League, or NHL, as well as the Mob City Clippers of the Northamerian Basketball Association, or NBA). The area is also the home of several high-end hotels, casinos, restaurants, and malls.

Finally, there was Knothole, which was one of the most historic neighborhoods in the city, for better or worse. Situated just south of the Echidna Tribe National Forest, it's the city's largest neighborhood. Knothole is best known as Mobotropolis's white-collar district. The area itself is very hilly, but the eastern side is more elevated.

East Knothole is where several of the upper-middle and high class people live. Several mansions and magnificent homes dot the rocky landscape, though the homes on the coast are the most magnificent. What makes those coastal homes spectacular is that they aren't on sea level, but rather on the Mobotropolis White Cliffs (the cliffs are made primarily of white chalk and black flint). Among the mansions is Mobotropolis's other Mobian Premier League team: Mobotropolis City FC (also known as Mob City, MCFC, the Blues, and formerly as the Station Square Chaos). They play their games at Whitecliff Bank Park.

Knothole is also home to the city's second major university. Located in South Central Knothole (across the northern extension of the Allegheny Passage) is Knothole University. "KU," as it is referred to, was created four years after Mobotropolis State University. KU is also a member of the Great 8 Conference, their mascot is the Knothole Freedomfighters, and share a nasty rivalry with Mobotropolis State.

West Knothole is home to several major companies based in the city. Banks, law firms, local TV stations, and more are situated in the west. Of these companies, two stand out: Robotnik Enterprises and the Acorn Media Group.

Robotnik Enterprises was founded in 1972 by Dr. Ivo Robotnik, a genius mind in business, medicine, and robotics. The company owns several businesses in and around the city, totaling over 60 businesses. This news stunned Sonic because with having no idea under which Robotnik Enterprises businesses the clones were under, it was now a crapshoot to try and find them all. And it didn't help that he forgot the elevator button sequence to access the cloning rooms.

As Sonic continued to read, he learned that Robotnik Enterprises had a reputation that was more on the corrupt side of the legal spectrum. The various companies under its umbrella were full of workers that weren't the most upstanding citizens. A large number of their workers were convicts at some point, and several times there have been documented encounters of illegal actions taking place (drug deals, violence, money laundering, distribution of illegal arms, etc.). Despite this, all Robotnik Enterprises companies are still highly regarded, but the image of the parent company (and its owner/CEO) has been tarnished slightly because of the Acorn Media Group's reporting.

The Acorn Media Group (AMG) was created in 1988 as the Mobotropolis Freedom Media Group. The company was founded on the notion that the city needed an independent newspaper that was not afraid to be completely, if not brutally, honest with the news, meaning that the group wasn't afraid of pulling punches. The group also believed that with the city in the height of corruption and the-record-high crime rates, the citizens of Mobotropolis needed a hopeful message that with the absolute truth, their readers would be perfectly informed and remain optimistic that the city will survive and that things will get better.

That optimism was tested in the summer of 1991 when two of company's four founders, Jules the Hedgehog and his wife Bernadette, were killed in a home invasion. The remaining owners, Maximillian and Alicia Acorn, kept the company going despite their partners' deaths. In January 1992, the Mobotropolis Freedom Media Group was rebranded as the Acorn Media Group. The name change was met with controversy—like their last name the new company name—but the Acorns honored their fallen friends by renaming the newspaper after them and changing their radio station's call sign from WCBM to WJBH.

Before the rebrand, the MFMG had its Mobotropolis Freedom Gazette, its radio station, and building in West Knothole where its printing press and press members worked diligently. After the deaths of Jules and Bernadette, sales for the paper went up as the city mourned their passing. In addition, their radio station and subsequent shows got more listeners.

After the rebrand, the Acorns were able to expand their building in West Knothole from a three-story building to a ten-story building, though it should be noted that the expansion was planned while Jules and Bernadette were still alive. The newspaper sales went up as their reporting got more and more fearless and factual, and they were able to expand into TV and online news. Their television news shows have the highest morning and nightly news ratings in the city.

Maximillian and Alicia's daughter, Sally Acorn, is one of the main hosts for the news shows and is seen for the morning and evening newscasts. Sally's status as the AMG's main female newscaster has not been without controversy. Many pundits have argued that she's only the host because her parents still own and run the AMG. However, Sally's take-no-prisoners reporting style and sense of professionalism have silenced those pundits. Thus, Sally has been given the nickname of the "Princess" as in the "Princess of Mobotropolis News."

The AMG is different from its fellow news-reporting counterparts like the Mobian News Network (MNN) and Mobian Broadcasting System (MBS) since they are completely independent. MNN and MBS have several affiliates in other cities (Station Square, Spagonia, Central City, etc.). The AMG is completely independently owned and located exclusively in Mobotropolis.

"And add in the fact that Eggman has control of what the other media groups say," Sonic whispered to himself. "Now what about the Rascal?"

To find answers, he googled "acorn media group rascal". The first link he saw was actually from the AMG. Someone working there had created a playlist of what the Rascal had contributed, including coverage of the burning oil rig from last night. The list went far back as 2013, starting about three years ago.

As he viewed the various videos, Sonic was able to figure out a few things about the Rascal. The Rascal used some type of audio changer to keep their voice a secret. With that, Sonic couldn't figure out if the Rascal was a man or woman. Second, the Rascal got some incredible footage of illegal deals. This person was seemingly able to get up close and personal with all the illegal doings and be discreet as he or she could possibly be. Thirdly, all of what the Rascal was able to survey was always on the AMG's main news shows. The Rascal probably had a great presence at the AMG, besides the Acorns, and was highly known in town. Fourthly, Eggman wasn't the only major crime boss in the city. There were also a few references to people called Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, Lyric the Ancient, and the Fox Family. Fifthly, this person had a serious axe to grind against crime in the city from the commentary he or she had said, especially for the Eggman. Eggman was the crime lord name that kept popping up. It made sense since he was the biggest. Eggman had the most cops on his payroll and had several city officials bribed or paid for as well. The Rascal never called him by any other name, which matched up with what CREAM said about most people in Mobotropolis not knowing Dr. Robotnik's alter ego.

The coverage of Eggman's dubious activities suggested that there was more than meets the eye with the Rascal and Eggman. The Rascal had great coverage of the other bosses' activities, but with Eggman's goons, Sonic guessed that the two had some bad history together.

But the problem of finding out the Rascal's identity was still there for Sonic. He watched the videos on the playlist, and he was still no closer to finding it out. He went back to the original search page and scrolled down and found a blog site for the Mobotropolis Police Department. Some of the grey text under the link had the "rascal" keyword in boldface. Curious, he clicked on it and was directed to a thread exclusively about the Rascal. One user was more active than others and kept bringing up one name in particular: Amy Rose.

"Is this the Rascal?" Sonic asked in a whisper.

The more he read, the more the name popped up, and the comments in the thread about the Rascal got more serious. These cops were _definitely_ not happy with the Rascal, and some had suggested offing her. It went along with the Rascal's reports that the cops at the MPD were corrupt to the core.

He opened another tab and searched "amy rose". His initial search wasn't exactly helpful, so he narrowed it down by adding "mobotropolis" to the search. His first hit was the lady's name attached to the… the… Acorn Media Group? He followed the link and saw a young hedgehog lady with pink fur and—.

"Hold on," Sonic said. Pink fur, green eyes, three quills on her forehead that acted like bangs, shoulder-length quills…. "She's the chick from the beach." He nodded to himself. "That's definitely her. And she's the Rascal?"

He thought it seemed a bit ridiculous that this Amy Rose could be the one he was looking for, but he scrolled down and found out that she had been with the AMG since May 2013 and worked as an editor for the AMG's newspaper. Sonic went back to the tab with the Rascal playlist. The playlist was created… May 2013. The more he thought about it, the more it lined up. How else could she get that kind of coverage for the AMG? But that didn't explain her professional title of editor.

" _Maybe a cover…?_ " he thought.

Whomever she really was, it was worth investigating. Now he just needed an address. Pulling up a map app that showed the entire city, he typed in "Acorn Media Group". The map then zeroed in on a section in West Knothole that was about a mile-and-a-half north of the Interstate 95/Interstate 76 intersection. He was just south of Central Park, about a half-mile from I-95. All he would need to do was follow the interstate northbound. It couldn't be that hard to find the AMG building… right?

Done for now, he closed all the tabs and logged off. He quickly headed back downstairs into the sticky weather. He quickly ran, but not too quickly to draw attention. But after seeing how much everyone else was suffering from the humidity, he stopped and surveyed his surroundings. It didn't look like anyone was watching.

ZOOM!

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

You know how I said that on the deviantArt version of this story that I was surprised chapter 6 didn't need to get spilt up due to its length? Well, I take that back. _This_ _chapter_ deserves that honor. Chapter 7 is nearly 1,000 words longer than 6 in case you were wondering, and it sports a word count of 8,273.

Before I tell you to read chapter 8 (which will be up shortly), I'd like to say something I should've brought this up when I first introduced Sally. If you don't want to hear me rant, then go on and proceed to the next chapter.

If you are a follower of my work, my works about SonAmy are well-documented. Outside of this story (to a certain degree), every other work of mine has had some sort of link to the shipping. With the SonAmy fandom comes Sally, and... wow, if you're new to the Sonic fandom, specifically the SonAmy variety, Sally is an interesting topic. It's a lot like Republicans and Democrats in the USA: two camps that couldn't disagree more on a certain issue. There are people who make Sally out to be whore/bitch/cunt/whatever-else-I-didn't-say. Sally is a lot of times the villain or at least a supporting antagonist in a SonAmy-centered story. She might as well be named "Satan" to some people.

On the other hand, there are SonAmy supporters who love Sally. A lot of times they'll have her interact with Amy like how best friends would act toward each other (like in the old Archie comic series). Sally is as much a freedom fighter as Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Tails, etc. in some fashion. Considering her views on justice and freedom are nearly identical to Sonic's, it's no surprise that the Archie writers of old and shippers alike have written them as an item.

Now, where does that leave me? Well, if it wasn't obvious, I have nothing but respect Sally Acorn and her fellow Archie-verse compatriots. In my younger days of being on SonAmy shipper, I thought NO ONE else than Amy could be with Sonic. I didn't like her, but I got over it because my personality is based on respect (and I was much younger and stubborn in my youth). The way I work is this: if you give me respect, I'll give it right back to you and vice versa. While I do not ship Sally and Sonic, I have to respect that audience, even if I do not agree with them. I akin it to my view on homosexuality and gay marriage. I myself am not a fan of it (religiously, I have to disagree with it; please respect my opinion). It is something that I refuse to do. _**However**_ , if people want to practice homosexuality or ship Sonic and Sally, then I have no problem with it. It's not my call to say that a hedgehog and chipmunk can't be shipped or whether two guys or girls cannot be in their respective homosexual relationships. It's not my place to meddle in something that another person enjoys or loves doing because I am not that person. It's their decision, not mine. I only ask that you respect my views, and I will respect yours. If you can't, then that's fine. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

But back to on my view on Sally. I have nothing but respect for her. She's a popular character, and she has earned her time in the comics and fan-fiction universe. At the end of the day, it's my decision to write Sally the way I want to. I personally like her since she's a strong character and, in terms of the comics, is on equal footing with Sonic and Amy as a hero. Sorry if my views don't jive with yours, and I'm sorry for ranting.

As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	8. Free Climbing

**CHAPTER VIII – FREE CLIMBING**

He skidded to a stop as he left the interstate and jogged normally northbound. He surveyed some of the sites as he traveled, noticing the many fancy buildings around the place. It really was the economical capital of the city as a bigger building relayed a stock ticker with all the trading prices from the previous day. Another seemed like it was made of nothing but glass as it stretched into the daytime sky. Its windows shined with the sun beating down on it.

" _Maybe it won't be so easy to find the AMG,_ " he thought.

He slowed down to walk this time and more carefully look around.

"How's anyone supposed to find anything here?" he thought out loud.

"Lost, mister?"

"Hmm?" Sonic turned around to see a young brunette-haired woman behind a small coffee shop.

"You look a little lost."

"Yeah, I am. First time in this city. Can you please tell me where I can find the Acorn Media Group?"

"The AMG Building is about… seven blocks north and three blocks east. It's tucked in among the other news buildings, but it's the tallest one of the bunch on the hill. You can't miss it."

"Thanks a lot," he said as he walked away.

"Just be a little careful, the roads do get a bit steep."

"Steep roads haven't stopped me yet!" He began to jog again northbound, and sure enough, the elevation quickly rose. He hated steeper grades. They always brought his pace down more than he was used to, even at high speed. That, and it was also easier to slip if his footing wasn't up to—.

SLIP! CRASH!

Just like that.

"Son-of-a—!" he said as he got up. "That's going to hurt in the morning." He looked at the patch of concrete he fell on and saw that it was darker. The rock was wet, and he followed the trial to a spot where water dripped from above. Someone had overwatered their plants and made the surface just slick enough for Sonic to face-plant like a klutz.

Despite his skinned knee and hurt pride, he jogged on for a few more blocks to the top of the hill where everything started to flatten out a bit. Taking one good look east, he was several buildings with various news logos. The one that caught his attention had a sky-blue circle surrounding a brown nut and an "A" that was colored navy blue. There it was. The AMG Building.

He walked toward the building, minding whatever traffic crossed his path and saw what was supposedly the city's beacon of hope. The site looked like it was expanded. The bottom three floors had slightly darker concrete than the ones above it. Connected to the west side of the building was a four-story parking garage that also had a metal fire escape system that was connected to the main building and went all the way up to the roof. What was most curious about the overall design was that for every floor, there was a ledge that couldn't have been wider than one or two feet. Despite the high humidity, there were a few open windows, probably catching the wind that circled around the naturally higher and skyscraper-covered area. The area where the fire escape was located was the only place where the ledges didn't continue. The ledges were cut off at the fire escape to accommodate the its placement.

The sudden rush of air conditioning enveloped him as he walked through the revolving doors. He expected that a well-known and successful company in the city would have a lobby that would be decked out with the merchandise of said company, but that wasn't the case. White marble walls stretched with matching columns reaching the ceiling at each corner. Black marble tiles on the floor. Windows with deep red curtains and golden fringes. Large TVs at each end of the room with the company's programming on it. A desk at the wall that was made of some dark, rich wood and sported the AMG logo and company name in gold lettering.

Behind the desk was a magnificently framed and large hand-painted portrait of a blue-eyed and blue-furred hedgehog and a lavender female hedgehog with green eyes. At the bottom of the frame was the tagline "Always with Us in Loving Memory."

However, the moment he took a better, more focused look at the lavender lady, he saw her right in front of him, bloodied, but with a hearty smile. He shook himself back to reality. What the hell… what on Chaos' Mobius was that? The image was burned into his head now, a lasting memory. But he couldn't focus on that at the moment. He business to attend to.

Besides the large portrait, there were smaller photos that lined the walls of the lobby, were all hand-painted, and had corresponding names on their frames.

A pair of hedgehogs, no doubt married, that had blue and lavender fur. The same ones on the portrait behind the desk. Jules and Bernadette the Hedgehogs. A cute chipmunk with sky blue eyes and a pretty smile. Sally Acorn. A dashing monkey man with brown hair and blue eyes like Sally. Ken "Monkey" Khan. A green and pink dragon with hot pink eyes a few canine teeth showing. Dulcy the Dragon. A young man with green eyes, brown hair, brown facial hair, and was a human. Brett Rodgers. A pink hedgehog with jade green eyes, shoulder-length quills, and three quills on her forehead that looked like bangs. Amy Rose.

"Yeah…," he whispered to himself. "That's definitely the woman from the beach."

"Excuse me, sir?" Sonic turned around to see a female wolf behind the desk. She was undoubtedly the secretary and probably confused that a guy was seemingly loitering in the lobby. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, yes there is," Sonic said as he walked to the desk. "I'm looking for Amy Rose."

"I'm sorry, but Amy Rose is out right now. She is gone to lunch."

He groaned. "Great," he huffed. "Just when I needed to see her the most."

"Why? You her boyfriend?"

That caught him off guard, and he shot her a panicked look that meant, " _What did you say?!_ "

"No! Heavens no!" he defended.

"Oh… well if you're not taken, wanna go out some time?" He blushed madly as the wolf flirted with her. The icing on the cake was her small smile and not-so-subtle wink.

"I… uh… I'm going to have to decline…," he forced out amid his nervousness.

She frowned and clicked her tongue. "Shame."

"Uh, look, it's nothing against you Miss…?"

"Wolf, but please call me 'Lupe.'"

"It's nothing against you, Lupe, but I'm a little too busy for a date right now."

She sighed. "I understand, handsome." Second time he was flirted with in one day. Odd. "Room 0923."

He zoned out. "What was that?"

"Amy's room is 0923. It's on the 9th floor. She shouldn't be too much longer, I would think."

"Thanks, Miss Wolf. Er… Lupe."

"No problem, _guapo_. Elevators are to your right."

"Thanks."

He began to walk towards the elevators, unaware that Lupe was watching him the whole way. Handsome, and he was trimmed. " _Cute butt_ ," she thought. That wasn't the only thought running through her head. She could've sworn she had seen a blue hedgehog like that before. She turned around to the painting behind her and switched back to the blue dude walking toward the elevators. " _He looks a lot like Jules. Must be a coincid—._ "

WAIT, WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?!

She just gave a stranger her friend's room number! He could've been someone sent to sabotage the company! Hell, this guy could've been a hitman for all she knew, and she just let him walk on by! She cursed herself for being so careless and caught up in his looks.

"Hey!" she yelled as she ran out from behind her desk. Too late. The blue dude was already gone, no doubt traveling up an elevator. " _¡Eres un idiota, Lupe!_ " she yelled.

"What's the big deal, Lupe?" She turned around as one of the guys from security had walked to up her. He was one _big_ bulldog.

"I just made a mistake and let that blue hedgehog have Amy's room number! I just committed a huge security risk! I got distracted by—!"

The bulldog grabbed her by her shoulders. "Calm down, Lupe. I'll get my men up there ASAP. Even if he doesn't intend to hurt anyone, we'll deal with him."

"Okay! Okay!" she said in a panic.

"Which room is Amy's?"

* * *

With the ding, Sonic left the moving room. The hallway was kept very well with navy blue carpeting and ivory walls. All of the rooms had steel frames around the doors with door-sized windows to match. He began walking to his right, noting the room numbers as he passed them by.

"0905, 0907, 0909, 0911—."

"Good afternoon."

"Hmm?" Sonic looked up to see an older female chipmunk with blue eyes smiling and nodding at him as they walked past each other. "Oh, good afternoon!" he said as he went back to the room numbers. "0915, 0917…."

The chipmunk stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around back at the blue hedgehog and shook her head in disbelief. "W-Wait… was that…?" She followed the blue man and looked around the corner.

"Ah, 0923." He stopped and looked in via the adjacent window. Lupe was right, she wasn't here. "Maybe…?" Nope, the door was locked. "Crap." Now how was he supposed to get in? He looked at the doorway for a second when he saw through the adjacent window to the far window of the office. He could see the whole city from that angle, but more importantly, Amy's window to the burgh was as open as a barn door. He remembered that each of the different levels of the building going up had small ledges that he could probably walk on. But even if he could do that, how would know which room was hers? It wasn't the only office with an open window. That's when he looked at the city in the distance. It looked like you could see the entire city to the south from his current angle. He was about halfway down the hallway, so he could estimate where her office was.

Unbeknownst to Sonic, the lady chipmunk was still there stalking him. Alicia Acorn watched carefully at the man, not noticing that he trying to find a way in. Her gaze was lost on him. She looked at him with simultaneous shock and starry eyes.

"No…," she whispered. "It can't be. Is that… Jules?" No, no it wasn't, but it sure looked like him.

"Mrs. Acorn?" a thick voice asked. Alicia turned around and faced a few security guards, one of which was the bulldog from before. "We're looking for a blue hedgehog. Lupe's concerned he might do something to Amy."

Sonic's ears twitched as he could hear the colossal canine talk from the other side of the corner. " _Uh-oh. Time to vamoose!_ "

"He's r-right around the-the corner," Alicia shook out.

"You alright, Alicia?"

"F-Fine." She hurried along and looked back. "I must be seeing things."

The dog shook his head and peered around the corner. The blue dude was walking away from them. The pooch walked around the corner. "Sir? What are you doing up here?" Sonic kept walking. "Dude, stop!" he said as the dog gave chase. Sonic continued to walk casually and rounded the corner. "We just wanna talk!" There was a sudden gust of air that came from around the corner. "Okay, stop!" He rounded the corner, but the blue speedster was gone. "Where the hell did he go?"

"Boss?"

"Go around the other way! Cut him off!" His compadres did as they were told. The dog walked slowly, peering into every room that he could. "Where are—?" The rush of footsteps could be heard around the far corner. He drew his pistol and aimed at said corner. "Hands up!"

"Boss!" a security cat said as he rounded the corner.

"Holy—! Don't just rush in front of me when I've got my gun out, Gonzalez!" he said putting away his 9mm.

"He's not here, chief!"

"Then where—?"

The dog looked around confusedly, trying to find an explanation. Then it hit him. The door to his left read "FIRE EXIT."

He pulled up his walkie-talkie. "Security, check the stairs."

* * *

Thankfully, there wasn't anyone in the fire escape to see Sonic's high-speed descent. Before he knew it, he reached the ground floor and opened the door slightly. The coast was not clear as he saw a few security guards patrolling the elevator area. With them was a spooked Lupe.

" _No clean way out,_ " he thought as he darted his eyes every which way trying to find a clean exit. " _And they might patrol around Miss Rose's office since I was there, but I need access to it. C'mon, Sonic, think._ "

As he panned to the left, he saw a white door with red letters that read "FIRE EXIT. ALARMS WILL GO OFF IF OPENED." It was at the end of the hall away from the small group.

"Getting everyone evacuated from the building would give me some alone time."

"Security," Sonic heard a walkie-talkie say, "check the stairs." His eyes shot up.

"That's not good," he whispered. Sure enough, the few guards in the lobby were heading there. Seeing no other option, he sighed. "Gotta blast."

ZOOM!

The door opened with a mighty gust of wind as Sonic bolted from the staircase and towards the fire exit. The poor guards were too stunned by the wind to see Sonic duck out at high speeds, not they could've seen him in the first place.

ERRR! ERRR! ERRR! ERRR!

A loud alarm began blaring from the AMG Building as a sure-fire panic had set in. The firemen would surely be there soon, so Sonic had to work fast. He circled the building and rapidly ran up the parking garage's ramps to the top floor.

There it was, the old-school fire escape. The parking garage was four stories tall, so the blue speedster would have to climb up six stories all with the wind whipping around the nearby skyscrapers.

"This should be fun."

* * *

"… So of course, it comes to the point where we have to deal with the defective dildo," Brett Rodgers continued as Amy, Sally, and Khan were laughing hysterically at his story. After Brett and Amy did the Mobotropolis City FC press conference, Sally and Ken Khan joined them for an outdoor lunch at a diner in the heart of Knothole University. "I knew that Zeb and Colton weren't going to touch it, and I didn't need management to say on the walkie, 'Hey, Brett? Some customer left behind a dildo in the parking lot in the handicap stalls. Can you deal with it?' So, Colton heads back in, Zeb takes the train of carts, and I—."

RING! RING! RING!

"Sorry, Brett," Sally said as she heisted her phone from her purse. "It's mom." She hit the talk button. "What's up, Ma Kettle?" Sally's eyes widened as her mom spoke. "We'll be right there." CLICK! "Waiter, we need the check ASAP!"

"Right away, miss!" a voice called back as Sally quickly packed up.

"Babe," Khan said, "slow down! Where's the fire?"

"The AMG Building. Fire alarm got pulled. We need to go." The group froze. "Come on!"

* * *

Stairs weren't a problem for him as he was quickly up to the outside of the 9th floor. He took one look down and saw that the next step was a doozy. One false move, and he'd be doing his best impression of Wile E. Coyote.

Suddenly, a loud siren began blaring in the distance. That was the fire department. They'd be here soon, and they didn't need to see a blue hedgehog climbing on the exterior of the AMG with a fire alarm going off. Heck, the people down below didn't need to see that either. He needed to be sneaky.

Deciding on a plan of action, he hopped off the top of the fence and landed on the ledge safely. To better conceal himself, he got down on all fours and began crawling toward Amy's office, staying as far as he could from the ledge to keep his presence there a secret. As he turned the corner, only one window was wide open on the south face of the 9th floor. Taking a quick peak down below, everyone was still filing out of the building.

" _Now's my chance._ "

He quickly got up and hopped over the windowsill into Miss Rose's office. It was a lot larger than he thought it would be. To his left were a bunch of filling cabinets bunched together like an island. The walls were otherwise barren save for the filled pin-up yarn and picture-laden board on one of the bluish grey walls. The right side had her desk with a computer—complete with a dual-monitor setup—and large flat-screen TV on the wall.

"New problem," he said. "Where the hell do I start?" He looked around the office, hoping for an idea. He got one when he saw the island of file cabinets. "I guess we'll start there."

He walked over to it and looked at the alphabetized letters on them. They read "A-D, E1, E2, F, G-H, I, J-K, L, M, N-Q, R1, R2, S-V, and W-Z."

"Hmm… how about 'E' for Eggman?"

He opened drawer E1 and found a drawer crammed with manila folders. He cycled through them, but found nothing. "Maybe the other one?" He slammed that one shut and opened E2. "Here we go."

There were a few files on Eggman, and Sonic made sure to quickly scan over their contents. He found multiple photos of people linked to the crime lord as well as crimes committed, but not much more than that. "Okay… maybe 'R' for Robotnik? CREAM did say the people think that Eggman and Robotnik were connected. He reached for R1 and found nothing on Robotnik, but R2 had a few items questioning the doctor's moral standing. He had a few pieces on what crimes he committed, but there was nothing on the Sonic Project, much less anything useful. That didn't surprise him.

He shut the file and put it back in the drawer. He sighed, letting out his frustration. "Wonderful," he muttered.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard. Sonic's ears perked up as he remained dead quiet. The people out there were men, and they were making plenty of noise.

"Looks like this room is clear too. Captain, this is Jimenez, the 9th floor is clear. Everyone's evacuated from this floor. Headed to the 8th."

The man walked away. With a sigh of relief, Sonic relaxed. " _Must've been one of the fire crew. Probably doing a sweep of the building._ " The fireman looked into the room via the window, but he didn't see Sonic behind the isle of cabinets. Lucky hedgehog.

He got back up and looked around the room more for another clue. The board at the end of the room caught his eye as it had a lot of yarn and pictures on it but had too many to keep track of. He walked away from the file cabinets and went to the last place he could check: the computer.

* * *

The cars pulled up to a small crowd in the streets. The barriers cutting off the street had only just been opened. Amy and Brett Rodgers were in one of the AMG's news vans while Khan and Sally were in Khan's little, red Corvette. They looked out their respective windshields to see the small mass of people and the firetrucks with their lights flashing. Brett let Amy out of the news van to see if she could find out what the hell was going on as he tried to make his way toward the parking garage.

She sifted through the people and found Max and Alicia with Lupe. "Max! Ali!" Amy called out. They turned around to see who was calling for them. "What's going on?"

Max looked back toward the doors and saw a few firemen through the glass windows marching on out. "We'll find out in a minute, Amy." The ensemble walked out without so much as a patch of soot on their suits. Everything seemed okay at first glance.

One of the firemen was thrown a bullhorn from one of the trucks. "Everyone?" he blared through it, "May I please have your attention? The building is secure. There is no danger inside, nor is there any fire. Someone probably thought it was funny to walk out through one of the fire exit doors and set off the alarm. You can all head back inside safely." The firemen then walked back up to their trucks and drove away. The AMG workers then headed back inside.

"So, someone opened the fire exit?" Amy asked the Acorns.

"Yeah. The weird thing was that no one saw who did it."

"So, it just goes off for no reason? Something doesn't seem right."

"We'll look at the cameras and see if we can find anything. Until then, business will go on as usual."

"If you say so, boss." Amy caught a glance at Alicia, who looked a bit off-kilter. "Something up, Alicia? I know the sirens were a bit loud, but that's no reason to get all stressed out." Alicia didn't say a word. "Uh, Alicia? Mrs. Acorn?" Amy turned back to Max. "Something up with her?"

"She… she said something about seeing someone who's been dead for 25 years."

"Don't tell me she's seeing ghosts?"

"I don't think so, but she's really spooked. Best not to 'poke the grizzly' if you catch my drift."

"Alright, I'll butt out."

"Amy?" Lupe asked. "Got a moment?"

"Make it quick."

"There was someone here earlier looking for you."

"Our favorite echidna cop?"

"No, I don't think it was a police officer at all."

"Then who?"

"It was a tall hedgehog. Blue fur, green eyes, handsome as hell." Blue hedgehog… Then it hit her. Amy's eyes lit up. The wolf noticed. "Someone you know? Security told me he was skulking around your office."

Amy wasn't sure what to say. She just looked at Luna trying to find the words. "Yeah, I know him, or least I think I do."

"What does that mean?"

"I'll let you know," Amy said as she picked her pace to catch the next elevator.

* * *

Luckily for Sonic, Amy just set her computer to sleep. He moved its mouse ever so slightly, and it lit up. "Hmm," he pondered. "Where might I find a lead on this thing?" He reopened her Google Chrome tab to see what sites were just up. Not much there.

Maybe her Microsoft Word app? She had to have made a script for what she said on her Rascal video shorts for the news. He saw a brief history of what she'd been typing out on the app, and he went through them. It was pretty much the same stuff he saw in the filing cabinets. Nothing there either.

He went back to Chrome to see what internet tabs she had up. One was her email. He hesitated before clicking on it. "This might be a little personal… but I think it's worth it."

He clicked on it and was given access. He looked on her message list on the left side of the page and scrolled down a bit until he read something named "HAPPENING TOMORROW." It was received yesterday. He followed the email and read it carefully.

"Tanker spotted with Dragon Kingdom flags entering the Central Sea. Many of the ship's crew are on G.U.N.'s Watch List. Unknown who is captaining the ship. Witnesses at the port in Hang Kang said this deal could be the largest illegal goods deal in Mobotropolis criminal history. It docks tomorrow night at 9 pm at Mobotropolis Docks. Port A113. Be safe. R."

"Interesting," he said. "Wait, '9 pm?'" He looked back at the board in the back of the room. There was a sticky note that read '9 pm.' He zipped back to it and looked at its location again: the Industrial District.

He went back to the computer and read through some of her emails. There was another one from this "R" associate of Amy's that followed up on a few photos she had taken involving a dirty cop, the same one that Sonic had busted up earlier that morning, a panda, a green bird, and a polar bear. From what he gathered, the bird and bear were a few of Eggman's associates.

Going back to the first email he looked at, he looked at the address and googled it. In the Maps section, he was given the exact location of where Port A113 was located. It was a port that was located at the Mobotropolis Waste Management and Disposal plant which was specifically at the Mobotropolis Docks in the Industrial District on the east coast of the Tampa Bay. So, this was going to be the site of the city's biggest criminal deal with probably a lot of Eggman goons? And then add in the fact that Amy was going to be there covering it all as the Rascal? Ooh, this was too good to pass up and was exactly what he was looking for. If he could be there when this deal happened, he could really screw with the doctor. He took a brief view out the window at the rest of the city. Across Angel Island he could see the large body of water known as the Tampa Bay. He looked along the eastern side of it and found the place. It about halfway up the eastern side.

His ears perked up as he could hear people walking and talking. One voice sounded feminine and got louder and louder.

Realizing he could be exposed, he exited out of all the tabs and set the computer back to sleep. He began to climb out the window just as someone was putting their key into the lock. Sonic narrowly got out of Amy's line of vision (via her window) as she walked into her office. He peeked around the corner after a second or two to see her getting situated. "Just in time," he whispered. With that, he got back down on all fours and quickly scurried along the ledge, getting to the exterior fire escape without much problem or anyone noticing.

"I'll meet you at 9, Miss Rose."

* * *

Amy booted her computer back up as she put her purse under the desk. She noticed that all of her tabs were closed. "Huh. Thought I left 'em open."

"I heard the building had a fire alarm go off," T said through the speakers. "You okay?"

"I was with Brett, Sal, and Ken when they went off. So yeah, I'm okay. Someone apparently triggered it."

"Alright, just checking."

"And apparently our blue speedster came by the office looking for me."

"How do you know that?"

"Lupe. She said that security saw him skulking around my office."

"A, the fact that you seem nonchalant about this concerns me."

"What's the big deal? It doesn't look like he got in anyway." A giant gust of wind came in from the open window and began to send papers all over the joint. Amy groaned. "Just what I needed!" she barked as she walked over to the window and shut it.

"That's what you get for leaving your—."

"Can it!" she screamed at her brother as she turned on the A/C. It wasn't the first time that he'd ripped her about this kind of thing. As she turned around to walk back, something caught her eye that seemed out of the ordinary. A filing cabinet that was open? That bothered her on a personal scale. She always closed her drawers. Why was this one—?

She looked back at the window and the computer. T could see her puzzled face through the camera that was at the top of the TV. "Something the matter?"

"I-I'm not sure," she said as she closed the drawer. "T, were you looking at the live feed of my office when I was gone?"

"I had no reason to since you were out for a while."

"That doesn't answer the question," Amy replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Yes, it's in the system on my end. No, I wasn't paying attention to the screen. I was making lunch for myself considering I wasn't invited to join you guys," T shot back.

"Put it on the screen. Start from when I was out to when I came back."

"You got it." T worked his magic and it came up on the screen like she asked. It started with when Amy left. About an hour later, they could see someone peering into the office via the large window next to the door. "There," Amy said as she pointed.

"There's our blue speedster. Wait, how the hell did he find out where you work, much less where your office is?"

"Not important right now. Fast forward." The video went by a little faster, and the blue dude was gone. After a few minutes, that same blue dude could be seen entering the office via the window. "That little snoop," she said with a bit of amazement. "He was here."

"I'd rip you for not closing your window, but I'm too distracted by how creepy it is that he got in." The video continued as he looked around the filing cabinets, the back wall, and then the computer.

Amy got back to her dual-monitor setup and opened her Chrome. She went straight for the browser history. There, she could see that there were a few links to her email inbox as well as Google Maps. When she pulled up the Maps app, it was pointed at the disposal plant.

"He was looking at the city's waste plant."

"The same place you'll be tonight?"

"Yeah, the—." Suddenly, she went back to the history. Pulling up the email, Amy found out he marked out some of the emails she had originally gotten from R regarding the night's deal. The video on the TV then showed him going back-and-forth from the desk to the board in the back. She put two and two together. "He's going to be there tonight."

"Excuse me?" T asked.

"The blue guy. He was looking into the deal at the plant tonight. I think he's going to be there too."

"Whoa, whoa, Amy. Timeout. How do you know this?"

"He was looking at my files in drawer E2, which has almost everything about Eggman. He went back and forth to my computer and looked through my email; just goes to show me I should've turned the computer off when I was gone. And from what I gathered for browser history, it's plain to see he'll be at the docks tonight."

"Amy, if he really is going to be there, then it's not safe for you to go."

"Doesn't mean I still won't do it."

"Amy! How do you know this guy isn't trying to kill you? He could be a stalker for all we know!"

"First off, if was going to kill me, why did he duck out when I was walking into the room? Secondly, I don't think you can be a stalker when you've met a person for the first time only a few hours ago!"

"A, I'm your brother. Listen to me. This has all the making of bad news."

"All the more reason to still go tonight."

"Amy!" T barked as her groaned. "None of this looks good. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen with him there."

"Don't be so paranoid."

"Don't be so foolish. Amy, you're my older sister, and I love you. Please, all of this that's been happening in the last few hours, something doesn't smell right. Nothing good can come out of this."

Amy sighed. "And you know that I've already made up my mind." T groaned. "Listen, I've gotten out of some tight jams before. If I need to do it again, I'll get out of there no sweat. You've seen me do it dozens of times. Hell, you're the reason I can get out of those jams. Please trust me. If he was going to do something to me, he would've already done it. He's had two chances to do so, last night and a few minutes ago."

T sighed. "I guess you have me there."

"Trust me, bro."

"I do, but I'm just—."

"Worried. I know."

T groaned. Amy could picture him shaking his head. "Okay, I'll have your back on this. Please don't make me say 'I told you so.'"

"I think I'd be dead first before you say it to my face."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I really don't else have much to say other than that Sonic is one daring hedgehog. Who on God's green earth scales a skyscraper in broad daylight?!

You can rely on chapter 9 being up next Thursday on 8/10. The day will be especially awesome for me since the Green Bay Packers begin their preseason games later that night. I am a football fan. I will gladly admit that.

As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.

SIDE NOTE: The dildo story that Brett Rodgers was talking about is pretty inappropriate, but it's from a true story from work about 3 years ago (at the time of this chapter going live).


	9. Creatures of the Night

**CHAPTER IX – CREATURES OF THE NIGHT**

He was up on a housetop when he paused. Okay, it was really a dilapidated apartment complex to the northeast of the plant. The sun was setting, and now he was only waiting for Amy to show up. He figured this place was as good as any to wait it out. That didn't mean he couldn't survey the area as the workers began to leave their jobs for the day. Soon, the city's scum would be invading the premises if they hadn't already done so.

The port was well guarded. The high fence circling the complex was topped with barbed wire. However, Sonic could easily jump over the fence from his higher position. There were a few cranes around the coast as well as one in the center of the outside campus. The building itself was large as it had two stories and separate wings, most likely for different sections of waste disposal and treatment. Finally, there were metal crates all over the place; some were stacked, some were not.

The city's night lights turned on, and the same went for the treatment plant. The area outside was not as well-lit as it should've been given the multitude of shadows. There were plenty of blind spots around the lot sans the area closest to the building where the lighting was very bright.

He panned from right to left as he continued to survey the area. That was when he saw a glimpse of pink. He squinted his eyes to see who it was. Sure enough, Amy showed up with the only pink showing being her head as her outfit was darkly colored. Sonic followed her as she walked closer and closer to the complex, but then he noticed how the entrance was well-guarded with armed guards. " _How's she going to get past?_ " he thought.

He saw her roll up one of her sleeves, revealing a gold bracelet. He raised his eyebrow curiously as he watched her left up her arm. It was almost as if she was aiming her had at something. "What is she—?"

She jerked her wrist, and a thin line was shot from her bracelet and latched itself to the wall of the complex. He watched in disbelief as she grappled up to the roof of the building with no trouble at all. When she got up, she ran and leaped off like a trapeze artist and shot out another line that grabbed the underbelly of the lot's center crane. She zipped up and silently set herself up on the catwalk.

His stunned face told the story. He couldn't believe what he just saw. She shot out a few lines from her bracelets and grappled up like freaking Spider-Man. Who _was_ this chick?!

"No. Way."

As he said that, a few armed punks exited the building, two of which were the green bird and polar bear that Sonic had seen from Amy's email inbox. With them was a red echidna dressed in tight black leather with a black whip to match. Besides them, the area was now crawling with some of Eggman's goons. It wasn't going to be easy to waltz in on so many armed guards, but Sonic had trained for years to deal with situations like this. Ready for action, he jumped off the building and into the complex.

* * *

The metal that the catwalk was made of wasn't especially comfortable. The cold steel threw her for a loop given how humid and warm it still was. But she didn't have time to worry about that. She had a deal to cover, and maybe even a blue speedster to see.

Amy crawled to the edge of the walkway. She could see everything from her vantage point. Looking behind her, she could see a ship in the distance starting to make its way into the city via the Allegheny Passage. It was a one _big_ freighter. It was able to sneak under the bridges with relative ease.

"Zoom in," Amy whispered. Her contact lenses were able to focus in on it and found out the flag and ship hailed from the Dragon Kingdom. "Bingo."

"Eggman still has a lot of contacts in the DK," T said via her earpiece.

"At least it narrows it down, T. Oh, and the usual suspects are here. That panda from the other night, Lien-Da, Bean, Bark—."

"I don't need the play-by-play. I can see it from here, A."

Amy rolled her eyes and kept tabs on the freighter as it continued its run via the South Allegheny Passage. It was just passing under the Interstate 395 bridge. She turned her attention back down to the small crowd of reprobates. "Let's listen in," Amy said. It took a moment, but T worked his magic and got the earpiece tuned in to what was going on down below.

"He just got into the city," the panda said. "My master is inquiring if Eggman will show up."

"And I've told you a million times, no, he isn't," Lien-Da replied as she was getting impatient with her black-and-white associate. "And the commish won't be here either. She's got orders to stay put."

"Darn," Amy said under her breath.

"He'll be here in about 10-15 minutes," the panda said.

"Does this mean _his boss_ is on the ship?" T queried.

"Sounds like it," A replied.

"Also sounds like he's going to get caught on Candid Camera."

"My thoughts—." She stopped herself and froze. She could hear something. Something… metallic. It was quiet soon after that for a few seconds.

"Something wrong?"

"No, I think we're—." Another metallic sound could be heard. She could feel something as the catwalk vibrated.

Her eyes shot up.

She was compromised.

And the worst part was that T heard the whole thing as she did.

"AMY! GET OUT OF THERE!"

Too late!

She turned around and gasped as someone put a hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream. Her body trembled as the shock of getting caught silenced her and made her heart race. The man then pinned her head to the steel as he got on top of her and, with his free hand, grabbed her arm and pinned that to the catwalk as well. With her heavy breathing and her life flashing before her eyes, she thought that this was the end. The lack of lighting made it impossible for her to see her attacker.

"Shhhhhh," the man whispered. "Amy Rose, I'm not going to hurt you, okay? And the more I think about it, this really wasn't the way I wanted us to meet."

Her heart was still beating a million times a minute, but she was a bit relieved that he said that in such a calm—if not embarrassed—way. However, that only meant that he could've just been trying to calm her down so it would be easier to kill her.

"I'm going to let go of your mouth. You can't make a sound, or we'll both be caught. 'Kay?" She hesitated for a moment.

"Amy, you have to trust him, even if you don't want to," T said into her ear. "Do as he says."

She heeded her brother's advice and nodded to the dark figure. In turn, he released his hand and got off her, taking a knee beside Amy. She breathed heavily as she tried to internally calm herself down.

"I'm sorry for doing that," he said, "but it was the only way I could think of to get your attention and not have you scream."

She shook her head. "And you should know that you should never do that to a woman," she whispered intensely.

"Sorry, it's my first time with one."

"First ti—? Okay, who the hell are you?! T, engage the gamma boost."

"Huh?" the dark figure asked, obviously confused.

T raised the gamma boost on her lenses, which made her lenses take in more light. With that, she saw her attacker. A hedgehog, blue, green ey—. Holy crap, it was the speedy guy! Her eyes shot up when she made the realization.

"What did you say? And are talking to yourself?"

"I-I didn't know it was _you_ that surprised me. You're that really fast guy from the beach last night."

"Uh, yeah. That was me."

"I figured you might be here."

He shot her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"When you break into someone's office and go through their stuff, at least have the decency of putting everything back the way it was."

He cursed himself. "You… You knew I was there?"

"I don't leave my file cabinets open. Now, I find you on the beach, then you break into my office. Who are you?"

"First off, you left it wide open for someone like me to waltz in."

"Not everybody climbs the side of a building in broad daylight to walk into a locked office."

He groaned. "Touché. And secondly, I'm Sonic."

Now she was one to cock an eyebrow. "You're joking."

"I'm not," he affirmed.

"Well, Sonic, I'm Amy Rose. I don't exactly know if it's a pleasure meeting you or not," she said she offered a hand. He felt that it was an honest response given his actions and shook her hand.

"A pleasure. Now, what's going on here? And what were you talking about 'gamma boosting?'"

She scoffed. "Don't worry about the gamma boost. And as for why I'm here, you tell me. You went through my emails. And get down. Someone might see you."

He rolled his eyes but did as she said, going belly-down on the catwalk. "I am here because you're here covering a big-time drug bust, Rascal."

"I keep telling people I'm not the Rascal. So, don't call me that!"

"How else would you be able to get to a vantage point, not be seen, and tape this for the AMG? And what about your bracelets? How are you able to grapple up to buildings?" She grabbed one of her bracelets to try and hide it. Caught red-handed. "Someone made those for you. My guess is that it's how you can get to places where others can't so you can eavesdrop on their meetings." He noticed something in her ear. "Ohhhhh, you were telling the person on the other end to boost the gamma. What does that mean, by the way?"

Amy shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can see the earpiece, Miss Rose. I'm not stupid."

She sighed. "Alright, yeah, I've got someone in my ear, but will you shut up?! I'm trying to cover a deal here! And why are you here?"

"I am here because I need to talk to you."

"Is that so? My business hours are—."

"Looks like you're working right now, so I'd say your business hours are now."

She scoffed. "Smartass."

"I'm being serious when I need to talk to you. You and I have something in common."

"Really?" She wasn't buying it. "And what might that be?"

"A distaste for Eggman."

"Everyone in this town does," she spat back.

"But you're the biggest media icon with the biggest axe to grind against him." She rolled her eyes. "Okay, what if I told you I had some information on the guy?"

"Then make an appointment."

"What if I told you that I had the biggest story of your life?" he countered. She froze for a minute and looked at him, not believing him. "You heard me right, Miss Rose."

"And what might that be?"

"How about his true identity?"

Her face softened a bit. "That would make for some interesting information, Sonic."

"I can sweeten the deal. What if I also told you that this story is tied to something from 25 years ago and has global implications? I could even tell you what happened on that oil rig since I know you were looking into it from your videos."

"What kind of information?"

"I can't say it all now; there's too much information and too little time. But I can guarantee that it'll make your career and be the story of the century."

He could see that she was intrigued. "And how do I know that you're not lying?"

"Considering you and I have just formally met, you probably shouldn't. But I swear on my brother's grave it isn't a lie."

"Hmm… how do I _really_ know you aren't pulling my leg?"

He looked her dead in the eyes. "Eggman has made my life a living hell. The two people that meant the most to me are dead because of him. Hell, he even took my parents from me. Now, I was told that you could help me because of your insistence on breaking the hard, gritty news in this town, that you could help me break the biggest story this city will ever hear. Eggman ruined my life. I want to bring him down… _hard_. I want to make him pay. I owe that much to my brother. I need your help, Amy. Please."

She studied him for a few seconds. His voice sounded very sincere and motivated.

"A," T said. "I think he's telling the truth. Look at the fire in his eyes." There was a fire in his eyes. He never broke eye contact. He sounded like he had poise and commitment.

She sighed. "Alright, I'll hear out, but it'll have to come later, alright?"

He smiled. "Deal." He offered his hand, and she shook it. He turned back down to the small crowd of people. "So, what's the deal with this drug deal?"

"It's not entirely a drug deal. There're some weapons involved as well."

"What do you mean?"

"She that ship coming into the port?" she asked as she pointed. He looked to the right and saw it beginning to make port.

"Yeah."

"That's a freighter filled with drugs and weapons from the Dragon Kingdom. Eggman's got a few big partners there, and supposedly one is on the boat right now. This plant is the city's biggest illegal goods depot as well as its biggest means of distribution. Weapons and drugs make their way to the plant, trucks throughout the day deliver the rotten goods, people have their trash taken away by the plant's workers, and people make their payments to those workers so that they can get their weapons, drugs, and sometimes even underage female prostitutes."

"You're kidding," Sonic said with disgust. "Those prostitutes were probably taken from their families I imagine?"

"That's a pretty safe assumption. Disgusting, I know, but it has happened."

He shuddered at the very thought. "Anything else I need to know?"

"See the female echidna down there?"

He looked down at the crowd. Near the building, there she was. "You know her?"

"Too well," she hissed. "That's Lien-Da the Echidna. She's the Mobotropolis PD's SWAT Commander. She's involved with a lot of deals in town. Eggman's number-one hired killer. The panda next to him is somehow involved with the big boss on the freighter. Don't have a name for him, but I do on the green bird and the white bear."

"And they are…?"

"The bird calls himself 'Bean the Dynamite.' The bear is 'Bark the Polar Bear.' They're in with Eggman mostly, but they also do business with the other crime lords in the city. They run the plant and oversee the distribution processes."

"They sound like upstanding citizens," Sonic jested.

"Very. Well connected. Tough to bring down."

"Even with your surveillance?"

"Even with my surveillance. Now shut it. The boat's docking."

The large barge was able to get in nice and tight to the dock and drop anchor. Chains were then sent over the edge and tied to the dock via anchor points. Next, a ramp came of out of the side of the ship and landed with a loud THUD when it hit the concrete. Several armed guards in eastern-looking outfits exited the ship slowly with the illegal goodies.

"Whoever this guy is, he's well-stocked," Amy said.

"In terms of goods _and_ manpower," Sonic remarked.

Amy could then hear a few thuds coming from the boat. It was steady, almost like someone was stomping. The source of the loud stepping came out onto the ramp and descended with authority and dignity. He was one muscular, big, brown ox. From head to hoof, he was covered with blue armor made of out some very thick metal. He looked like a modern-day gladiator with the armor and how leather belts tied them to his body.

"Wait…," Amy began. "I know that guy… T, is that Jun Kun?"

"'T?'" Sonic asked. "Is that who's on the other end of your earpiece?"

"Y-Yeah…," T said, barely believing what he was seeing. "That's him."

"Amy, timeout," Sonic interjected. "Who's Jun Kun?"

Amy turned her head and said with bewildered eyes, "You don't know that that is?!"

"That's why I'm asking you," he defended.

She groaned and rubbed her temples. "Jun Kun is the biggest mobster in the Dragon Kingdom, not to mention Eggman's #1 partner in the East. He's known by the alias of 'Iron King' because of his iron armor. That metal is as thick as he is, but his body is his biggest weapon. He used to be a massive bodybuilder and steroid user who worked as a supplement distributor, but then he made the jump to drugs and arms. His body is the pinnacle of Mobian perfection. Even a well-placed punch to his kidneys wouldn't do anything since his unreal muscles are just as strong, if not stronger than his armor. If he's here, then this is bigger than I could've ever expected."

* * *

There was a certain way he intimidated people when he walked. It could have been the shear mass of his body. It could have been how he towered over everyone. It could have been that he could pick you up and crush your bones with one squeeze. It could have been how the earth seemed to rumble and tremble with each step he took. This man was the most feared being in the East, and he made sure that you knew it.

Lien-Da just stared him down with crossed arms as the behemoth walked toward her, Bean, and Bark. Bean looked very terrified. Bark was in awe at how gigantic he was. Lien-Da only saw him as a trade partner and she the ambassador.

"Wasn't told you were going to show up," Lien-Da said as she glared at the nearby panda.

"Sensei," the panda said as he bowed to his master.

"Save it, Express," said the ox ( _ **Iron King: Keith David**_ ) in a booming voice. He then turned to the red one. "You're Lien-Da?" The echidna nodded. "You know why I am here."

"Just out of curiosity, is there a reason you came here? Big risk with you coming without a passport."

"I wanted to personally see my largest shipment get delivered. You know the implications of this deal?"

"I do."

"Then where is the money I was promised by Eggman?"

Lien-Da snapped her fingers. Another goon ran to her with a briefcase. He handed the luggage to Lien-Da who opened it up for Jun Kun to see. "This alone is a million bucks."

"I was told my compensation would be higher!" the king screamed, snorting in anger.

"Calm down, the rest of the cash is on that pallet over there." Lien-Da pointed directly ahead of him to a wooden pallet with a few crates full of cash. There was a guy on the forklift with it prongs underneath the pallet. She then pointed her gun at the Iron King. Jun Kun glared at Lien-Da.

"What is this?!" Kun yelled.

"Just want to make sure you have the goods first. Don't want you to just walk out of here with the cash in hand." The panda pulled out a gun and pointed it at Lien-Da's skull. The echidna chuckled. "Seriously? You're going to be like that?"

"It would be wise to not anger my sensei. The last one that angered him—."

"Express, put your damn gun away," the king demanded. The panda hesitated and looked at his boss, but he did as he was told. Then he turned back to Lien-Da. "Here it is." The king turned back to the boat and nodded. Two of his goons still on the ship fled for a minute and came back with a large crate and ran it down the ramp. One had a crowbar and opened it up in front of Lien-Da and her group. They all smiled. "And there's more where that came from."

Lien-Da chuckled as she holstered her pistol. "I think we're going to get along just fine."

* * *

Amy chuckled. "And I've got you on camera, Lien-Da," she whispered.

Sonic asked, "So where do you have your hidden camera?"

"That's a trade secret." She sighed. "But now this city's going to be in a load of trouble with all of this making its way to the streets."

Sonic shook his head. "They aren't leaving the port."

Amy paused and looked at him with confused eyes. "Excuse me?"

"They aren't leaving the port," he echoed.

"And what makes you think that?"

"Because I'll personally stop him and the bust."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing and scoffed at him. "You take one step down there, and your head'll get blown off!"

"They won't get the chance." His arrogance was starting to grate on her.

"I know you're fast, but you're also stupid if not cocky."

"The first thing you need to know about me Miss Rose is that I've been trained to deal with instances like this."

"And I'm Betty White," she mocked.

"Your email said you have a friend that tipped you off about this, right?" She nodded. "Then give him a call. Make sure that this crap doesn't get into the city." She rolled her eyes. "Miss Rose, the longer we argue about this, the less time we'll have to stop this."

"'We?'"

"If you call your contact and tell him to get his butt over here, then we can stop this… and you'll have one a front-row seat for the most amazing thing you'll ever see in your life."

She shook her head and looked at him. "You honestly think you can take them all on? Did you not see the big dude with the army and the armor?"

"Trust me, Miss Rose. I can handle these guys. Is there any way that I can contact you when I'm done?"

She rolled her eyes. "If you somehow find a way to stop him, I'll get my friend over here. She'll take care of everything."

"Deal. Now, how can I get a hold of you?"

"Can you remember a phone number?" He nodded. "(555) 867-5309."

"(555) 867-5309," he repeated. "I can remember that." Sonic got up and leaned over the railing. "Prepare to be amazed," he said as he fell off the side. Amy nearly yelped as she looked over the edge to see that he landed safely and moved quickly through the shadows. She sighed in relief.

"Nice landing, but he's still a goner."

Sonic smiled as he could still hear Amy's words. "Let's start with the ship."

* * *

The king's crew were steadily removing the ship's contents and putting them into an open freight container. It would be easier for storage, and no one would know that they were in there.

"So besides tonight, what was your biggest deal?" Bean asked.

"Two years ago," Jun Kun answered. "Apotos. Those separatists were bleeding for bazookas and support. They were very willing to fork over the king's ransom for my help. Or should I say ' _my_ ransom?'"

WHOOSH!

The winds suddenly broke out into a fervor as everyone heard and felt them.

"What was that?" Bark asked.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The group turned toward the ship. "AHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT'S THAT?! HELP! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Then nothing.

Silence.

The entire group outside drew their guns slowly as they eyed the ship. All the commotion came from inside.

"Express? What's going on?"

"I'm not sure." The panda then grabbed his walkie. "What's going on in there, guys?" Nothing. Silence. "Guys?" Still silence. "Anyone?"

"I'm here," a voice responded.

"What's going on in there? We heard screaming and yelling."

"That's a bit redundant, wouldn't you say?" This guy's voice was calm and in a mocking tone.

"What is going on in there?!" Express screamed.

"Hold on to your bamboo, Po or Ting Tang. Whatever your name is."

The panda was furious. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA—?!"

"Here's an idea for all y'all: watch the ramp." They all looked there. Lien-Da then motioned for her crew to aim at the opening.

WHOOSH!

The high winds returned as the group was disoriented by them.

"Watch this!" A voice yelled.

A gust blew right past them and a scream could be heard. Another gust screamed by as the number of gun-toting creeps fell by a few men.

"What the hell?" Lien-Da asked.

"W-Weren't their more guys here?" Bark asked.

WHOOSH! ZIP! PEW!

More and more crew members seemed to vanish out of thin air. Little screams were made by those who vanished as they disappeared. It was almost as if they were getting taken away by something.

"Lien-Da…," Bean said as he stiffened up.

"Can you catch the wind?!" A voice yelled out. The area was soon becoming a windy nightmare as everyone was having a hard time standing up against the tempest. Lien-Da herself had to go down to one knee and look with one eye open as a blurry blue tornado seemed to appear around them. More and more goons seemed to disappear before his eyes into the blue typhoon. Nothing was left of them.

Then the winds stopped. Everyone that was still around got back up and felt a nasty wave of dizziness except for the Iron King himself, who was not looking happy. Kun grabbed Lien-Da and brought her to his face. "What's the meaning of this?!"

"How the heck should I know?!"

The few goons that weren't taken away by the winds all looked scared as they held onto their semiautomatic guns loosely. None of them could stand straight as they were all quivering in terror. In the beginning, the area was filled to the brim with armed guards. Now? Maybe a dozen of them remained.

ZOOM!

One guard was thrown into a metal crate and knocked unconscious. Those left looked at his unmoving body.

WHOOSH!

Another one vanished.

ZIP!

And another!

WHOOSH! ZOOM! PEW! ZIP!

It continued until there was only the group of Lien-Da, Bean, Bark, the Iron King, and the panda. Oh, and one measly guard that stood in the middle of the area under a light. He looked at the group in shear horror.

"Don't just stand there!" Lien-Da screamed. "Do something! Shoot your gun! Anything!"

As his body trembled, he nodded shakily. He turned around slowly, trying to find what had done this. He heard a breeze in the darkness. "DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" he yelled as he unloaded a magazine into the darkness. It didn't take him long to burn through the entire clip.

"My turn!" that same voice yelled.

ZOOM!

The lone henchman was hurled across the area after bouncing on the pavement like a skipped rock. Behind him was the darkness. He was down on his belly and hurting all over. He tried to get up, but suddenly someone grabbed his leg. "Wait, get off me!" The figure then pulled him into the dark abyss. "Stop! Please! Get o—. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He tried to grab the concrete as he was dragged away and silenced. His scream echoed, haunting the group of five that remained.

"L-Lien-Da!" Bean squeaked out. "W-We n-need to go!"

"Aww," the voice said. "But I saved the best for last!" A sharp gust roared around the group and a blue hedgehog with a cocky grin seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"Who the hell are you?!" Lien-Da yelled as she pulled out her twin pistols. This prompted the panda, Bean, and Bark to do the same.

"You guys don't mind if I borrow those, do you?" Sonic disappeared in an instant and quickly robbed them of their guns before they could realize it. Then the group became aware that they were rapidly disarmed. Sonic was near the coast, pistols in hand. "Guns can be dangerous if used improperly," he said as he dumped them into Tampa Bay. The look on the group's face was priceless. The panda, Bark, and Bean were all beside themselves while Lien-Da the Iron King were looking mighty pissed. "What's wrong, boys? Cat got your tongue?"

"H-How are you… you a-able—?" Bean stammered.

"You and I have a mutual friend who could tell you that," Sonic said as he began to walk toward the group. "And may I say he's going to pay dearly for that. Now I'm going to give you boys, and the lady, one chance to surrender."

The Iron King bellowed a might belly laugh. The rest of the criminals looked at him like he had just lost his goddamn mind. "You may be fast, but you're in no position to order me around!"

"This coming from a guy who ain't even a real king!"

Kun's laughter subsided, but he still had a confident grin on his face. "Express, show him what's it's like to go up against the Iron King."

The panda froze and looked at his boss with wide eyes. "Excuse me?"

The Iron King picked him up and said lowly, "Did I stutter?" The terrified bear shook his head. "Then do it. You have a knife, so use it."

The panda anxiously and nervously nodded as he was set down. He turned to the hedgehog who was still walking casually. As he was told, the panda reached into his shorts and fished out a small blade that had been strapped to his leg the entire time.

"Ooooh!" Sonic said overdramatically. "What else you got in there~?"

That ticked off the panda as he gripped it fiercely and charged at Sonic. Big Blue stopped and waited for him to come. "You'll die at the hand of—!"

Sonic then bolted up to him and grabbed him by the throat and picked him up effortlessly. Sonic had one mean grip as the panda tried to break free. "I will do no such thing!" Sonic said playfully as he grabbed the knife out Express's hand and threw it to the side. Suddenly, Sonic spun around at breakneck speeds at least a hundred times in a five-second span. He let go of the panda who was dizzy as hell from the spin cycle. "Take a seat, chum," Sonic said as he punched him in the face, knocking him out. He then looked up to the group. "Who's next?" He noticed they were one person short. "Hey, where's—?" Bark had gotten in behind Sonic and literally bear-hugged him, picking up the hedgehogs as he squirmed a bit.

"Try 'n' get outta this," Bark said.

"You asked for it."

In one quick move, Sonic straightened his legs away from his body, bent them, and swung them back hard, nailing Bark in the crotch. The polar bear squeaked in pain as he let go of Sonic. Bark was doubled over in pain and grabbing his lower section. Sonic then added insult to injury by punting him in the face, knocking him out too.

"Anyone else?"

Bean trembled and escaped into the facility. Lien-Da turned and yelled, "Coward!" She groaned and stormed to Sonic. "Okay, wise guy, I'm placing—!"

WHAM!

Sonic wasn't interested in her hollow words, so he roundhouse kicked Lien-Da in the head, silencing her in a flash. Amy shut her eyes and groaned while chuckling. "Get wrecked, sleazeball," she said.

And then there were two. Jun Kun slowly clapped as he stared at Sonic. "Impressive," he said. "A master of speed and basic combat. I must say that if you were to work for me, you would be the best fighter in the world, and if I may say, the perfect right hand in my organization." Sonic scoffed at his offer. Iron King's face soured. "When I make an offer like that, people usually take it," he hissed.

"I'm not interested, you oversized T-bone."

You could practically see the steam coming out of the ox's ears. He didn't like that one. "What was that?!"

"You deaf too?" Iron King cracked his knuckles. "Ooh, 'cause that makes you so _bad_."

"That's it!"

The fight was on as Kun charged Sonic, but Big Blue zipped around him in an instant and leaped for the back of his head.

WHAM!

Sonic's body rag-dolled to the ground as Iron King had countered with a hard backhand. "Okay…." Sonic didn't have time to react as the ox picked him up and hurled him into a nearby metal crate. Sonic could feel a sharp pain in his side from the contact. This time, he got up quickly to get ready. "That all you got, beef brisket?!"

The king mooed angrily and charged Sonic, but he once again zipped away. Kun slowed himself down and stopped himself before colliding with the crate. Sonic saw his opportunity and put a well-placed flurry of punched into the exposed side of the Iron King. When Sonic was done, he was confused why the ox didn't go down. He looked up to see a smirking Iron King. Then Sonic remembered what Amy said.

"Even a well-placed punch to his kidneys wouldn't do anything since his unreal muscles are just as strong, if not stronger than his armor."

"Aw f—." Sonic was then kicked by Kun and sent skidding across the pavement, finally stopping hard when he collided with another metal crate. Sonic got up slowly as he found himself bleeding from the mouth. "Tough customer," he said.

"I've spent my entire life building myself to physical perfection!" the Iron King boasted. "Even your punches can't hurt me!"

"If at first you don't succeed…," Sonic said as he charged the brute. He threw himself directly at the ox, but once again, Kun countered with a vicious slap. Sonic had to quickly roll of out the way as he was nearly stomped by the king multiple times.

"Stand still, worm!"

"I'm not fish bait!" Sonic screamed as he got up and zipped out of trouble. Sonic held his midsection. That last slap got him in the abdomen. It finally got through Sonic's thick skull that he wasn't a physical match for Kun. He had to find a different way to beat him. If it wasn't brawn, then he had to out-smart him. The question was how he could do that.

Kun was ready to charge the hedgehog again. Sonic braced for impact when he realized what he was standing in front of: a large shipping container. As he charged, Sonic taunted, "You'd make a lousy rib roast!"

"You'll die for that!" Kun yelled has got on all fours midstride and continued to violently charge, putting his head down to boot. Then Sonic dove out of the way before the king could realize what Sonic made him do.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

The king got up screaming and holding his head. Sonic took this opportunity to recover and hide behind another container. As he caught his breath, he watched the king hold his head in agony. He could also hear a low humming sound. Sonic quickly realized what was humming: Kun's metal headpiece. The thing was hit so hard that it was vibrating his sku—.

"That's it!" he said. "But he won't charge head-first at me again into a metal wall, so how can I do this?" As the king tried to steady himself, he saw the answer. The Iron King was covered head-to-hoof in thick, blue armor. That armor, save for his headpiece, was strapped to his body by leather.

With the plan ready to go, Sonic came out from the shadows. "Hey, tenderloin!" The king looked up to see Sonic turn around, bend over, and spank himself twice. "Come and get it!"

Kun charged again, but so did Sonic. The ox wound up and swung, but Sonic dove at his legs and rolled underneath them as he passed by. Sonic then stopped, revved up a spin dash, and let it loose. He reached and clung onto Jun Kun's meaty leg, trying to get his shin guard off. The ox stopped and swung his leg, trying to shake him. "Let go!"

He finally threw Sonic off his leg, but Sonic stayed upright. It looked like he had something hiding behind his back. The king saw that and looked down at his left leg. No shin guard.

"Give. That. Back!"

"Make me!" Sonic said with a smirk.

The two then charged again at each other, and just like last time, Sonic slid under the Iron King's feet. Kun stopped and turned around, but he got a nasty surprise and Sonic swung his shin guard like a softball bat and connected with the headpiece.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Kun screamed as he held his head. Like last time, his helmet vibrated, scrambling his brain like eggs.

"Heads up!" Sonic yelled as he jumped and swung again.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

"AHHHHHHHHHH! STOP THAT!" Kun couldn't see straight because of the repeated trauma.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

Sonic kept swinging at every chance he had. He wouldn't let the king get his bearings. Kun couldn't take the hard hits or his vibrating helmet. Sonic kept wailing on him as the king yelled and gripped is head in agony, dropping to his knees in the process.

Sonic threw the shin guard down, getting behind the ox for his finisher. He quickly looked Amy's way and winked before doing so. Ready to go, Sonic revved up and let loose a spin dash, running at the downed ox, and with a well-timed leap, he grabbed Kun's horns and brought him down.

"Hi ho, silver!"

The speedster's momentum took the Iron King's face into the concrete, ending the fight on a hard slam. Sonic got up and looked down at the fallen king. Kun moved a little bit, even trying to get up, but he just couldn't and flopped down to the ground defeated.

"Not bad for my first 8-second ride." Then he quickly zipped back to the boat and came back with a rope. Now wanting to break what little pride the Iron King had left, he hogtied Kun and let him lie there like a tied-up bull at the rodeo.

Amy couldn't believe it. She saw Sonic take some hits, but that didn't mean a thing as she witnessed Sonic absolutely annihilate the greatest and most feared crime lord in the East one-on-one. But more importantly, she saw him take care of almost everyone in the complex without too much of a problem. He singlehandedly took down a small army. He moved so swiftly. His hits were well-placed. When he did face adversity, he adjusted and made his enemies hurt. She couldn't say a word because she was in shock that he pulled this whole thing off, just like he said he would. And he looked masterful in doing it.

She saw him look back up to the building, and who did they see? Bean the Dynamite in his office watching the whole thing from the window. He looked destroyed. He was beside himself. All the strings he had to pull to get this deal to happen, and it was all up in flames. Sonic and Amy could tell by the look on his face that Eggman was going to have him de-feathered and basted in his own juices.

Bean ran away from the window when Sonic waved at him. He was next. One last piece of business. Before he went in, Sonic looked back at the amazed Amy and waved. She hesitantly waved back as he saw him head into the building.

"T? T? Did y-you see that?!" she screamed. "Please tell me we got that!"

"Y-Yeah, we got it," he forced out. "How? Just how?!"

"We'll find out soon enough. I'm going to stay and—."

"Not a smart idea, A. You just screamed out a few words when you were supposed to be silent. What if a goon woke up and heard you? You need to get out of there."

"But he—."

"Sonic will catch up with you later. He'll call you. Speaking of which, I need to call R so she can have G.U.N. secure the place."

"You're right," Amy replied in a defeated tone. "I'll head somewhere safe to meet him."

Amy took one last look at the window and saw Sonic in the office with Bean. With that, she used her wrist grapple to get down safely and run out of the area. Little did she know that an echidna dominatrix heard her up there. And she had just woken up.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I had to throw Keith David into this. I just had to! For those of you not in the know, Mr. David has done a lot of voiceover work for the likes of _Teen Titans_ (the orignal series and NOT that _other_ show) as Atlas the robot, Dr. Facilier from _The Princess and the Frog_ , and my personal favorite: Goliath the gargoyle from _Gargoyles_ (a Disney Channel show from the 90s). His voice isn't as iconic as Morgan Freeman's, James Jones's, or Malcolm McDowell's, but goddamn, when David yells, you shudder in terror and go nuts because how booming his voice is! It's kind of like whenever Kevin Conroy says, "I am vengence! I am the night! I AM BATMAN!"

Before I go, I want to thank **MissMJS** ( u/6308642/MissMJS) for reviewing the story every time I update it. She's the only one to do that so far, and I thought that I would bring that up. I know you're reading and following along with the story's events, and I cannot thank you enough for doing so. If you're a SonAmy shipper like I am, then please check out her work on if you have not already.

To everyone else, are you liking the story? I haven't heard from anyone else, and I'm just curious if you're enjoying the story so far. Is it great? Is it shit? Is it underwhelming like your baby sister's cooking skills? I'm genuinely curious because I cannot gauge what the rest of you are feeling as you read. Don't take this as a jab at you for not giving me input or your two cents. I guess I just want more interaction with my readers. And it's for that reason that I plan on doing shout-outs for everyone who reads my future stories and chapters.

You will get chapter 10 next Thursday as per usual. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	10. Man in Motion

**CHAPTER X – MAN IN MOTION**

Bean hurried around his office collecting the necessary goods to try and combat the blue menace. He saw what Sonic did. He knew what he was capable of. He knew he was next. The only thing he could do was fight for his life and try to get away with as much stuff as his grubby, little hands could hold.

The last thing he was taking with him was locked in a long drawer and was as heavy for him, but did it ever pack a punch. He held it up and started loading it with shotgun shells. He pumped it once. Ready for any—.

"What'd I tell you guys—?"

BLAM! TCH-TCH BLAM!

Bean stopped to see that the only thing in front of him were pieces of drywall painted with ammo pellets. Someone grabbed his gun and ripped it away. In no time, flat, he was staring down the barrel of a 20-gauge shotgun. He looked in horror as Sonic held the gun with a cocky, unhealthy smile. Bean couldn't help but relieve himself at that moment.

Sonic shook his head. "Charming," he said. "But hey! Maybe some chicks dig the smell of piss!"

"Oh, please! Please, I didn't do anything!" Bean begged. "I didn't—!"

"You shot at me with a pump-action 20-gauge… twice. And you've been peddling guns like these all across town from what I understand."

"I-I-I-I," he stammered. He shut up real quick when Sonic pressed the barrel to his face. "DON'T! I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT! I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT! YOU WANT MY MONEY? I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU! YOU WANT A BLO—?!"

BANG!

Bean quivered and backed away after Sonic shut up at the ceiling and pumped the gun again.

"First off, that's fricking disgusting. I'm not into that. Secondly," he said drawing the gun back to Bean, "I just wanna know if there's anything you got on Eggman that I can use."

"W-Wh-What do you mean?"

"You see, I'm not exactly sure. All I know is that I've got a score to settle, and I could really use your help."

"Maybe I can help settle that score?" Bean offered anxiously.

"That's what I'm here for, Tweety. I wanna send the doc a message, and I want to be big."

"Doc? I don't know no docs!"

"Save you breath, short-fuse, I know that Dr. Robotnik and Eggman are the same fat guy. Now… what can you give me that'll help me out?" Bean hesitated. Sonic put his hand on the trigger. "I'm warning you, the next shot won't be at the ceiling."

Bean gulped and hung his head. "The bag I was filling up, near the painting." Bean pointed to the duffel bag against the near wall.

Sonic nodded and headed over to the bag, opening it up. There were a few items like cash, shotgun shells, and a book of some sort. He pulled the book out and held it to Bean's face. "What's this?"

"A ledger. It's got all of our accounts from our business deals."

"Really?"

"Dude, I'm not lyin' to you when you've got a gun to my face. It's also got a few locations, like the hangar where the doc hides his cash." Bean's eyes shot up and he clenched his mouth shut. Sonic suddenly became very intrigued.

"A hangar? Full of cash?" Bean cursed himself and nodded. "How much is in there?"

"Uh, uh, a little more than $2.5 billion."

Sonic smirked. "That's a lot of green. And the Eggman just stashes it there?"

"Y-Yeah. Banks in this town are getting harder and harder to convince to let us launder that cash. Gotta stockpile it."

"And where might this hangar be located?"

"A-About a mile east of the OilOcean Refinery."

"Specifics, Tweety."

"Just north of here. Take the first right when you see the OilOcean sign, and it'll be a mile down on the left side. Look for Building No. 1848."

"Bean, thanks for helping me out. Now, I just need one more thing from you. You got a cellphone?" Bean nodded and slowly went back to the desk, opened a drawer, then gave it to Sonic. He took the phone and cycled through the contacts list. As he figured, there was Eggman's contact information.

Sonic turned back to Bean. "Thanks, birdy. Now, you get to take a nap."

Before Bean could react, Sonic drove the butt of the gun into Bean's face, knocking him out with only a single hit. Sonic then took the gun with him as he held onto the book and the phone. "Take a right at OilOcean… that gives me an idea."

* * *

This midnight shift was getting old. But she had her orders from the doc: wait for Lien-Da's confirmation that the deal went along alright. She expected her to call a little earlier, and now she could only sit on her hands and idly play computer solitaire until she finally came a-ringing. But there was also a sense of uneasiness that came from all this. If she hadn't called by now, that potentially meant that things had gone sour. If that happened, the doc would have her stuffed and placed on his mantle. Getting on her boss's bad side was never something Thunderbolt wanted to do, though having to work with Lien-Da made that happen a lot more than she would've liked.

Her favorite song then screamed out at its refrain. "About time!" she said as she picked up her phone. Sure enough, it was Lien-Da. "Did you forget to call me or something? You had me worried."

"Thunderbolt, get a hold of the boss. Tell him that I need to talk to him at headquarters…," she grunted, "headquarters ASAP."

Her worst fears had just surfaced.

"What happened? And why do you sound like you're in pain?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"The deal went south."

"You idiot!"

"It wasn't my fault that a one-man wrecking crew took us all out at the docks!"

She scoffed. "One man. Good one. I'm sure that the doc will get a kick out of—."

"I'm bullshitting you, Thunderdolt! I need him there now!"

She groaned. "Why don't you call him, you sorry excuse for a whore?!" BEEP BEEP BEEP. "Crap," she said. The echidna hung up. She rubbed her temples in frustration. "I'm going to hate this call," she said dialing him up.

* * *

All done. The tank was filled and ready to roll. The hose was taken off and securely fastened to the trailer. He had one last stop, and then he could return home. She hated when he worked late. She feared that he would be having some sort of affair. Lord knows she's had enough heartbreak in her life. But that wasn't the case; not by a longshot. He was picking up some much-needed overtime that would help them both. Well, them and the kids.

The guy running the pump system turned off the machine. "You're good to go, Bernardo!"

"See you later, Cy!" Bernardo suddenly looked back at the truck. It almost sounded if… no, someone at the facility probably just shut a door. He shrugged his shoulders. "See you next week!"

He opened the door to his big semi and got in. He quickly strapped himself up, ready to go North Res and deliver the final load of unleaded gasoline for the night. He reached over to the passenger seat to grab a bottle of water.

TCH-TCH!

Bernardo froze in place. His lip began to quiver as the very life he lived flashed before his eyes. Behind him in his sleeper cab was someone with a cocked shotgun.

"P-Please don't shoot me," Bernardo gulped. "I-I-I'll give you a-anything."

"Sir, I have no intention of shooting you, much less taking anything."

"Then what do you want?"

"I need to use your gas."

"What?"

"Bernie!" A muffled voice from outside yelled. It was Cy. "What's the hold-up?"

Bernie… why did that name sound familiar to him? Sonic shrugged it off and said, "I don't wanna get found out. Make somethin' up."

Bernardo straightened up and grabbed a water bottle. Then he rolled down the window. "D-Dropped my water bottle between the seats," Bernardo said. "That place might as well be a black hole, but I've got it now."

Cy loosened up, not suspecting a thing. "Oh. Alright. Just wonderin' why you weren't moving."

"I'm ready to go. See ya next week." Bernardo rolled up the window and began to pull out.

"You improvise pretty well," Sonic complemented.

"Shut up. I don't want to talk."

"Relax," Sonic said as he went from the sleeper cab to the shotgun seat (no pun intended). The Latino driver got his first look at the blue speedster. "I need you to take me to a hangar that's a mile east of here. Building number 1848."

"Dude, just please let me go. I don't wanna get shot!"

"'Bernie,' right?" The driver was silent. "Is Bernie your name?"

He sighed. "Bernardo," he corrected. "Bernardo Juarez."

Sonic held the shotgun upward in his left hand and offered his right hand. "Sonic the Hedgehog. And I'm sorry for doing this for you." Bernardo looked at him with disgust, but he shook his hand anyway not wanting to get a lead lobotomy. "Just so you know, if we play this right, you'll have a fat payout when this is all over."

He scoffed. "'Fat payout?' What the hell are you having me do anyway?" Bernardo said as he nervously took a sip of water. The anxiety made him spill some of it.

"I'm going to use the gas in this tank to light up $2.5 billion of Eggman's money."

Bernardo spit out the rest of his water, coating the steering wheel and the inside windshield. "You're havin' me knock over how much of Eggman's cash?!"

"According to a ledger I… 'acquired' from one of Eggman's associates, $2,508,000,000 to be exact."

Bernardo could barely believe it, and he had a huge smile on his face. That confused Sonic. "Why didn't you say it was for Eggman?!" Bernardo said joyously.

Now it was Sonic's turn to feel uncomfortable. "You seem a little too happy about this," Sonic commented.

Bernardo sighed. "You got a bone to pick with Eggman?"

Sonic hesitated. He didn't expect this conversation to get turned on its head. "Like you wouldn't believe. You have one too?"

"Ooooooh, yeah. What're you doing this for? Eggman ain't the kind of dude who likes when people mess with his mierda."

"Already did that… twice. But what I've got planned, this'll be child's play."

"What are you? Some thug trying to muscle in on his turf?"

"No. I'm no criminal. Eggman's cooking up something big, and I'm the only one who can stop him. I'm here to bring him down."

"And you're just going to steal from him? Seems a bit light if you ask me."

"Oh, no. That's why I need this tanker's gas. I'm going to light this sucker up."

"I get it. Hit him where it hurts."

Sonic chuckled "Exactly." The tanker came to a stop. This was the hangar, and there was no one there. Probably best to keep a cash cache like this as low-key as possible. "Wait here."

"I won't go."

Sonic got out of the tacker and walked to the big door. Surprisingly, there was no security around the world's most unsuspecting bank. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. It was a simple padlock that kept the big sliding doors shut. He jogged back to Bernardo. He opened his door and asked, "You got a set of bolt-cutters?

"I've got a spare toolbox in the cab. Gimme a minute," he said as he unclicked his seatbelt and went into the back of the truck. In a few seconds, he came out with the 'box. They walked back to the doors when he asked, "So how much am I getting paid for this?"

"I want Eggman to take as big a hit as he can. How does $7 million sound?" Sonic could see green dollar signs in the driver's brown eyes.

"Sounds like a deal to me."

"Good. Just so you know, you'll have to leave town ASAP when you get the cash."

He groaned. "Yeah… I suppose I would."

Sonic picked up on his partner's sudden sadness. "Is there a problem?"

"My family. I can't just up and leave 'em without a good reason." Sonic felt bad and cursed himself. He should've considered that he might have a family.

"I'm sorry for doing this to you. I didn't—."

"No, it's okay. My kids have always wanted to go on a big vacation to Disney World."

"I tell you what, when I bring down Eggman, I'll make sure you and your family is kept safe. They won't lay a finger on you. You have my word."

They stopped when they got to the door. "Your word?"

"My word," Sonic said as he offered his hand. They shook. "Although you might want to keep a low profile. Spending lots of cash in a short span isn't a good way to hide."

"Noted."

Bernardo opened his toolbox and pulled out the bolt-cutters. With a little pressure, he broke the lock. The duo then opened the large doors. On Sonic's side was a light switch just on the inside of the building.

CLICK!

"Holy…," Bernardo said as he surveyed all that well-lit money. There were towers of cyan cubes all over the place. They could see that the cash had been bundled up. Sonic took one and opened it. He counted the bills, which were together in stacks of $10,000 being held by pieces of tape. He quickly counted the cube's contents.

"There's $1 million per cube," Sonic stated.

"And how many cubes are here?"

"2,508."

"Wow…!"

"'Wow' indeed. Back the truck in here."

Bernardo nodded and ran back to the truck with the toolbox in hand. He quickly got the truck in reverse and backed in as Sonic directed him.

"You're good!" Sonic yelled. The truck was shut off and Bernardo got out. "Can this hose spray the gas onto the stacks?"

"Yeah, but shouldn't we take our money first?"

"Wouldn't be a good idea." With that, Sonic went back into the truck and grabbed the duffel bag he had swiped from Bean's office.

* * *

He came into the Mobotropolis Police Department Building in a huff. His face was beet red, he had the face of a killer, and you could have sworn steam was coming out of his ears. He was that pissed off. The cops in the lobby all took one look at him and froze in place. The few of them in that room that were on his payroll knew if he looked like that, there would be hell to pay… and a body to hide later.

He stormed to the front desk where the officer behind it trembled. "She's waiting for you in her office!"

He didn't say a word as he stormed through the doors on the left into the precinct's bullpen. There were cops a-plenty running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Across the room, he saw Bean and Bark along with a small battalion of dirty cops that were all confined to a corner. Among them was the Iron King himself bound by a series of hand- and ankle-cuffs. Surrounding them all were a bunch of agents clad in black riot gear. They weren't the city's SWAT team, they had "G.U.N." on their backs.

"The feds?!" Eggman mentally screamed as he stormed to the elevator. "How did they find out about this?!"

The ride to top floor couldn't end soon enough as he waited and waited for what seemed like hours. When the doors opened, he resumed his fast walk and blasted into Thunderbolt's domain. The chinchilla commissioner yelped in surprise and then cowered in fear.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" he screamed. She couldn't talk. The words were caught in her throat. "Thunderbolt! I swear to all things holy—!"

"Doctor, don't look at me!" she defended. "I-I wasn't the one who—! Yikes!"

He swung at the chinchilla's giant suit, catching her in the glass dome. She opened her eyes and was deathly afraid that her glass was cracked. She nearly fainted when he brought his finger up to the dome and towered over her.

"I give you guys one simple job, and you still find a way to screw it up!"

SMACK!

"Who ratted us out to the feds?!"

SMACK!

"Dr. Robotnik, I don't know!" she defended. "I didn't do it! I wasn't there! I'm not the—!"

"You bet your cybernetic suit that you're responsible for this! I don't care if you weren't there! This was the biggest deal we've ever tried, and now we're the laughing stock of the city!"

SMACK!

"Now what the hell happened?! And where the hell is Lien-Da?!"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," a voice said from behind him. Speak of the devil, there was the dominatrix, only she was gun-less and looking worse for wear. "And I'm right here. Thanks for asking." Eggman let Thunderbolt off the hook for the moment as he turned his attention to Lien-Da. She was going to be in bigger trouble than the commissioner.

"And just what wouldn't I believe, rodent?" Eggman asked darkly.

"That… that the deal was…," Thunderbolt was having a hard spitting it out. "That the deal was broken-up by one person." Eggman turned back to the commissioner with a confused and angry face. "Don't look at me! I'm just going by what Lien-Da said!"

Robotnik turned back to Lien-Da, who now resting in one of the office's seats. "One man?" Lien-Da nodded. "One man?!"

"What aren't you gettin', doc?" Lien-Da hissed.

Eggman walked up to Lien-Da and grabbed her by the black leather collar. "One man couldn't take down a small army by himself!"

"And I'm telling you I saw it with my own eyes!"

The doc threw Lien-Da into Thunderbolt, shattering the glass dome on her robotic suit. The commish panicked a little bit, but stayed silent as Eggman was still looking at her like she was going to be his next murder victim.

"Tell me what really happened, Lien-Da! Or I'll strangle you with that whip or yours!"

"I'm telling you it was one guy!"

The doc drew a revolver from underneath his jacket. He pointed it at the snippy echidna. "One. Last. Chance."

"I swear it was one guy! He was blue and really freaking fast!"

The doctor froze and shot her a look of surprise. "What did you say?" he asked in a more conventional tone.

"He… He was really fast. We couldn't even touch him!"

"A-And he what did he look like? Describe him to me!"

"Blue hedgehog. Looked about mid-20s. Maybe a little shorter than me. Really fast. He took us all out before we could get a gun on him!" It was at that moment that Lien-Da really read the doctor's body language. She could see he was in shock. When she had said that he was blue and fast, Eggman immediately changed his emotional level. Lien-Da put two and two together and raised her eyebrow. "Hold on a sec. Do you know him?" The doctor was silent. "You do know him!" The doctor retrained the revolver and aimed it at Lien-Da's head. "That clinches it. You don't just know him… you know him."

"Boss?" Thunderbolt squeaked. "Do you really know him?"

Robotnik looked at both of them. He couldn't figure out what to say. He saw the wreckage. There was no way that anyone could've survived that firestorm.

RING! RING! RING!

The doctor pulled out his phone. It was Bean.

"It's Bean. You two keep quiet."

"Wait! Doc! He's down—!"

"Hello?" Too late. "Bean? What happened down there?"

"The Tweety Bird you're looking for isn't available," the voice on the other end said. "If you'd like to leave a message, then hang up and redial."

"What?! You aren't Bean!"

"Doctor," Thunderbolt said. "I tried to tell you that Bean's incarcerated downstairs."

The doctor groaned. "Who is this?"

"You surely couldn't forget a guy like me, could you, doctor?"

The doctor froze again. That cool voice. The way he said it. "B-Blue?"

The man snickered. "Hello, doctor."

Eggman panted, barely comprehending how it was possible for him to be alive. He then cleared his throat. "Blue, I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Heh-heh, I suppose you are. But let me ask you something, doc. When does the lying stop?"

"Excuse me?"

"Should I even call you 'doctor,' or should I call you 'Eggman?'"

Robotnik gasped. "Eggman? Who's Eggman?"

"Cut. The. Crap. I know everything, Ivo. Everything."

"I don't know—."

"Those clones, CREAM, the Sonic Project, and you are the city's biggest criminal kingpin. You lied to me. You lied to all of us."

The doctor didn't respond at first. He then growled. "I should've ended you a long time ago."

"You kind of did. You took it all from me. My parents, CREAM, my life, and Green."

"Heh. So, he's dead? Good."

"I wouldn't gloat if I were you, Ivo. You took everything from me, and now I'm going to do the same to you. It started with the clones and taking down your precious drug deal. And now, I'm going to bring you down."

"That so? And how are you going to do that?"

Sonic chuckled. "You trained me to be the best. Believe me, I'll find a way. I'm resourceful as hell. You know that better than anyone."

Eggman sighed. "I'll give you one chance to stop all of this, Blue."

"Pass. And the name isn't 'Blue' anymore, doc. Call me Sonic."

"Where'd you get the idea for that name?" the doctor asked in annoyed tone.

"Take a guess. Oh, and doctor? Are you able to see building 1848 in the Industrial District from where you are?"

Eggman looked around and saw the south side of the city via the office's window. He walked up to it. "Yeah, why?" Then a feeling of fear jolted down his body. "Wait… why are you there?"

"Why am I at the building that has about $2.5 billion of your dirty cash? Well, I hijacked a gas tanker from the OilOcean Refinery down the street."

The doctor shot up in realization. "What are you doing?!"

BANG!

Eggman reeled from the loud blast at the other end of the call. "What was that?!"

"That was me shooting a trail of gasoline that leads back to your hangar. Those bills are all doused in gas, Ivo. You might wanna call the fire department."

* * *

Sonic hung up. He watched the trail of gas speed toward the building. He was a quarter-mile from the hangar and had Bernardo run what was left of the gas out onto the street, thus creating the trail. The tanker had been shut off for a moment as Bernardo pulled ahead a little bit so that his truck wouldn't go up like fireworks. He then got into the semi as Bernardo pulled away.

* * *

Eggman looked in horror as a small trial of light got closer and closer to its target. Lien-Da and Thunderbolt saw it too.

"Eggman?" Thunderbolt asked. "What happened?"

FWOOSH!

The building went up in a glorious fireball. The doctor's billions were gone in a flash of orange light.

"Bolt, get the fire department to Hangar 1848 now!" he barked as he stormed for the door.

"Wait," Lien-Da began, "isn't that where you stashed all of your cash?"

"Yes, idiot! Thunderbolt, are you—?!"

"Yes, boss!" she said frantically as she dialed away.

"Did that fast guy do that?" Lien-Da growled.

Eggman stopped and turned around. "Yes, bonehead, he did," Eggman hissed. "Put out a BOLO [Be On the Look-Out] for a male hedgehog. Blue fur. 25 years old. Tan stomach and muzzle. Green eyes. Runs very fast. He's 4-feet-6-inches tall. Goes by the name 'Sonic.' Considered highly dangerous. If he's using Bean's phone, track it. You got all that?"

"Yeah, but how the hell do you know him so well?"

Robotnik scowled and turned back to the angry echidna. "I'm going to tell you this once and only once: if you ask me that again, I'll have you crucified in Central Park. Got it?"

"Don't you—!"

SMACK!

Lien-Da fell hard and wiped the blood from her cheek. "Let it go, Lien-Da. Or else."

Eggman stormed out of the office on that. Lien-Da slammed her hand into the floor. Thunderbolt hung up her phone. "How the hell are we supposed to nail this prick if the doc's holding out on us?!"

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Thunderbolt said calmly.

"And how the hell can you say that when all of this crap happened?!"

"I don't want to anger him any more than he already is." The commissioner got up and opened a nearby closet that had replacement parts for her robotic body. She grabbed a new glass dome. "Now do what he says."

* * *

Sonic was busy in the semi's cab fiddling with his bag of cash. Bernardo's take was still in the blue cubes in the cab. When Sonic was done, he brought the bag up with him to the shotgun seat. He then pulled out his phone and started dialing a number he heard earlier.

"Amy Rose," the pink hedgehog answered.

"Hey, it's me."

Sonic couldn't see it, but she lit up when he talked. "Hey! Where are you right now?"

"Had to take care of something first. Are you able to see what's going on in the Industrial District?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Maybe you only need to see the sky around that part of town."

"Okay, let me head outside." He waited patiently for a few seconds. "I'm seeing a lot of smoke coming from—." She stopped. "What did…. Did you do that?!" Sonic could hear how exasperated she was. "What is that?!"

"That would be two-and-a-half billion dollars-worth of Eggman money going up in flames."

"Where did you find that? How did you find that?"

"I'll tell you the details later."

* * *

She got out of the elevator and walked toward the BOLO desk where a male gazelle typed away. As she walked, Lien-Da noticed how more G.U.N. agents were in the building, congregating in the corner where the Iron King was being held.

"Kenny," Lien-Da said.

"What's up?" the gazelle replied.

"I need you to make a new BOLO."

"Sure. What's the description?"

"Male hedgehog. 25 years old. Blue fur and green eyes, about four-and-a-half feet tall. Tan stomach. Calls himself 'Sonic.'"

"Alright… what's he wanted for?"

"Uh… arson."

"Arson. Got it. How big should the radius be for the search?"

"Make it statewide."

"Yeesh, someone has big target on his back."

"Considering this is same prick that ruined our little deal at the docks, he should be lucky it isn't bigger."

Kenny stopped. "Wait, this guy did all that?"

"And he burned $2.5 billion of Eggman's money."

Kenny groaned. "Alright, I can have the BOLO out in a few minutes. Anything else?

"Yeah," Lien-Da said as she fished out her phone. "I need this number tracked at all times."

"Bean's? But he's in—?"

"Sonic took Bean's phone. I need you to keep tabs on it."

Kenny typed the number in and set it on a search using the computer's hardware. "Got it. Weird, he's making a call on it right now?"

"Can you trace it?"

"Gimme a sec." Kenny was a skilled computer genius. Within seconds, he had the phone's locations. "He's calling a (555) 867-5309. The number's registered to one… Amy Rose."

Lien-Da almost did a double-take. "Who's he calling?"

"Amy Rose. You know her?"

"She's the Rascal, Kenny."

"Ooooh."

"I've got a big problem with her. Can you patch us into that conversation?"

"Hold on." Kenny typed away madly. "Got it."

"Put 'er on."

Kenny did so, and they listened in.

"I'll tell you the details later," Sonic said. "I've also got something that you might like."

"And what might that be?"

"Ah-ah! That'd ruin the surprise! Now, where can I meet you?"

"I'm at a diner called St. Elmo's Fire. It's in the plaza near the city library. You know where that is?" Lien-Da felt a sinister smile grow on her face.

"I was there earlier today. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Good. See you then."

CLICK!

Lien-Da just chuckled. "I've got her! Oh, I've got her! Thanks, Kenny."

"Be careful."

Lien-Da hurried away from Kenny's desk to go to hers. She kept a few spare pistols there. She would need them.

* * *

Sonic, no longer needing the phone, threw it out the window. "Do you know where the library is?"

"Too well. My brother and I practically lived there as kids."

"Good to hear. You can drop me off there." Sonic reclined in the passenger's seat, but something just came to mind. "Bernie?"

"Yeah?"

"Why were you so eager to help me? I have you at gunpoint, and the moment I tell you Eggman's involved, you turn into the most helpful human on the planet."

"Maybe I like helping people?"

"People don't pull an emotional 180 for no reason."

Bernardo sighed and took out his wallet. He flipped it open and gave it to Sonic. "Here."

"I said I don't want your—."

"The picture," he emphasized.

Sonic then shut up, took the wallet, and looked at the small picture inside of it. There was Bernardo, a woman with dark, raven hair, and two boys that looked a lot their mother. "Your family, I presume?"

"Yes, but it's who's not in the photo that's most important."

"Who'd that be?" Sonic could see that a chord was struck with the driver. He looked sad.

"My big brother. You see me with my family in that photo, but my brother should be in that photo. Not me. My wife, Marianne, she used to be my brother's wife. My sons, Ray and Finn, used to be my nephews."

"You married your sister-in-law?"

"I did it to… well, listen. My brother's name was Juan, but some of us called him 'Johnny.' Johnny and I were very close. Our mom used to work in the library, so we worked and read there for years. We decided that we were going to get real jobs to support our mom since budget cuts cost my mom hers. Johnny and I went to work at the refinery where you hijacked my truck, and we worked there for a long time, during which Johnny met and married Marianne. But one night, Johnny and I were working late dealing some paperwork. We punched out and exited through the loading bay. When we got out of the building, we saw a few of our coworkers gathering around something. We went to see what the commotion was, and we walked in on a drug deal."

"Oh, boy," Sonic said uneasily. "I don't like where this is going."

"You're right to think so. This drug dealer, I'll never forget his face. A black rat with yellow eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. My bosses had been investigating a few of the guys to see if they were using any drogas. Turns out they were, and they were doing a deal in the plant's parking lot. Johnny went to try and break it up, but…."

"The dealer came armed, didn't he?"

Bernardo nodded solemnly. "Two shots later, my brother was on the ground. Everyone ditched us, and I was trying to stop his bleeding with my shirt. The problem was that those bullets went through my bro's stomach. I couldn't call the 9-1-1 in time, so I was there with my brother dying in my arms." Bernardo let out a tear. "But he made me promise something before he died. He made me promise that I'd look after Marianne and the boys. He made me swear."

Sonic put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bernardo."

The driver sighed. "Thank you. After that, I called the cops. The dealer was easily identified from the plant's cameras. He was sentenced to life in prison for what he did. Marianne… Chaos, she just couldn't take the fact that her husband, my big brother, was killed for trying to do the right thing."

"And the dealer worked for Eggman?"

"Sí. That came up in the trial. Rotten bastard. Got shanked in prison a few weeks later. Served him right. But that didn't change the fact with Johnny dead, Marianne couldn't make some of her payments. School for the boys, food, clothes; she had a hard time finding stability… that is until I came in and helped support her. At the time, she wasn't my wife, but she was the only family I had left since my mom died two years prior. I kept her and the boys afloat… and then…."

"Things just happened between you two?" Sonic guessed.

"She said that I looked so much like Johnny. She wanted me to keep her safe. She needed someone to hold her. But at first, I couldn't, even if I did love her. And she knew that. She knew that I would feel like I was betraying Johnny. I-I didn't have the stones to touch her. I felt…."

"You felt guilty."

"I still do. But one night, I swear that Johnny came to me in a dream and said that it was okay, that if there was anyone that could make her and the boys happy, it was me. Sonic, do you believe that people talk to you in your dreams? That they give you advice and guidance?"

He immediately went back to that purple desert. That same lavender lady haunted his thoughts. Bernie…?

"Yes."

Bernardo chuckled. "After he gave me his 'blessing', I was really able to love her. The boys were a little weirded out that Uncle Bernie was going to be their new dad, but they had gotten so used to me spoiling them that they were cool with it. They were the best men at our wedding."

"And are things going alright with all of you?"

"Marianne thinks I spend too much time away, but as a trucker, that'll happen. I don't cheat on her. I just couldn't. I made a promise to Johnny that I'd always be there for her. Nowadays, I keep forgetting to switch out that wallet photo of mine for a more up-to-date one."

"Why is that?"

"Because a month ago, we had twins. We named our daughter Esmerelda after my mom, and we named our son Johnny."

"Family before everything."

"Exactly."

"You're not the only one who's lost a brother to Eggman."

"You?"

"Yeah, and very recently. That's why I'm here: revenge."

"Sonic, revenge is a scary thing."

"I don't intend to kill Eggman, but I give you my word that I will make him suffer."

"Whatever you do, Sonic, just be careful. Eggman's a tricky and wicked bastard." The truck came to a stop. "We're here." Sonic grabbed his bag and opened the door. "Sonic?" the hedgehog turned around. "Good luck," Bernardo said as he offered his hand.

Sonic shook it. "Thank you. Keep your family safe, and keep a low profile. There's another $500 grand in the back for you."

Bernardo looked back in disbelief as there were a few stacks of $100 bills stacked nicely. "You don't have to do that."

"Yeah, I do. I can by with a half-mil."

Bernardo smiled. "Thank you. And when you do nail Eggman, patear su culo por mí, ¿de acuerdo?"

Sonic chuckled as he got out. "Sería un placer, Bernardo."

SLAM!

The truck drove off and Sonic sighed as it raced away, blowing diesel exhaust right into his face. He just chuckled as he walked down the plaza. A familiar, spicy smell ran across his nose. He looked around and saw a guy behind a kiosk. It looked like he was ready to pack it up for the night.

GRUMBLE!

That's right, Sonic was still hungry as hell. The thing now was that he had some cash on hand.

* * *

She swirled her drink around one more time. Then she swigged the last of it in one big gulp. No, it wasn't very lady-like, but she getting impatient waiting for him. Throwing the empty cup into a nearby trashcan, she left her table and grabbed another at the counter. A low-fat caramel macchiato latte with a rose pattern at the top. She loved how the baristas here did their magic with the milk. She was always in awe of how they were able to get the picture of a rose on the top of her drink. She sat back down and took a big sip of hot, steamy heaven, and it helped her take the edge off.

"Ahhhhhhh," she sighed. "Bliss." She had to be careful. This was the last place to have a coffee-gasm.

RING-RING!

The bells on the door sounded like Sunday morning church as a male, blue hedgehog came through the door. He had one chili dog topped with shredded cheddar in his left hand and a duffel bag in the other. It looked like he had just had one since there was a little chili sauce on his lip. As he scarfed the other chili dog down, he looked around the place. There was a lot of weird movie memorabilia. A lot of the pictures around the joint had Emilio Estevez and Rob Lowe in their youth. Maybe this place was sort of tribute to a movie they were in?

"Sonic!" The blue hedgehog turned to his left and saw Amy at a table. He made his way around the tables, apologizing for his big bag.

"This seat taken?" he asked.

"It is now," she said as she gestured for him to sit down. "Sounds you've had a busy night."

"Among other things, yes."

This was the first time that she saw him for what he really looked like. No dimly lit lights, no camera footage, and no need for gamma boosting. He could actually see his vibrant royal blue fur and jarring emerald green eyes. "Dang," she thought, "He's handsome." But flirting could wait.

"What's with the bag?" she asked.

"This? Oh, just raided Eggman for about $500K before I torched the joint."

She looked at him in shock. "You… what?"

"You heard me."

Then she scoffed. "So, you stole from the guy you're trying to bring down and took his money. You're not exactly a smart criminal, are you?"

"Well, there's no need to call me 'Robin Hood.' That's for sure. I just needed a little spending money if I'm going to stay to bring him down."

"And that's my biggest question with you."

"Not my speed?"

"No. Well, yes and no. I'd love to know how you're able to break the sound barrier, but I have to know why you've got such a hard-on for Eggman."

"First off, yuck. Secondly, I've got a lot to tell you, but this isn't exactly the most private of places. Did we really have to meet here?"

"No, but you did call me when I was here, and I needed a drink."

"That being said, is there somewhere we can talk privately?"

"First, you said you had something for me that I'd might like. What might I like?" Sonic opened the bag and pulled out a book. "What do we have here?"

"A ledger. It's got a few noteworthy locations like where Eggman stashed his billions. But, with you being the underground investigative reporter, I think you'd like to see who Eggman has done deals with and who he's got on his payroll."

Amy's face lit up more and more as she flipped through the pages. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, of Eggman's associated were on this. Times, dates, people, accounts yet to be honored.

"You get this from Bean?"

"Had to interrogate the little bugger, but I got it. Your G.U.N. friend took care of—?"

"A team's already been dispatched. All the goons involved with the deal are being held at the MPD Building. Hopefully the agents won't get paid off and let them go. Thanks for that, by the way."

"For what?"

"For stopping the biggest deal in city history. And for giving the Iron King of all people the dropkicking of a lifetime! How did you do it? And what about this 'big story' 25 years in the making?"

GRUMBLE!

"Whoa…," he said holding his stomach. That didn't feel very good.

"Bathrooms are over there," she said pointing behind her. "Don't worry, I won't move. We've got a lot to discuss."

Sonic rapidly got out of his chair and hightailed it for the restroom. "That's what you get for eating Eddy's chili dogs," she thought.

"He seems trustworthy enough," T said via the earpiece.

"Yeah. Kinda cute too."

"A, don't even think about it. Business first. You know that." Amy rolled her eyes. T has always been a buzzkill… or an over-protective brother. Both were applicable.

"Rose," a gravelly voice said. Amy stiffened when she heard that voice. She knew it too well, and she sounded pissed. Turning around… yup, that was the dominatrix, alright.

"Lien-Da," Amy said dryly.

She drew a pistol and cocked it. Amy was caught off-guard. She never drew her gun out this quickly, even when Lien-Da usually threatened her. It was almost always bullwhip first.

"You were at the docks," she hissed.

"What are you—?"

She put the gun right to Amy's head. Everyone else in the café saw the whole thing. Lien-Da noticed their gaze. "Police business!" she barked. Then she turned back to Amy. "Where's your friend?"

"What 'friend?'"

"Fast. Blue. Took down our deal. I know you two are in cahoots with each other."

"Then you—."

BANG!

She shot up into the ceiling.

Sonic, from the bathroom sink, heard that. He washed his hands quickly and peered out the door. There was Lien-Da with a gun to Amy's head.

"You and me are going to go outside and wait for him. Got it?"

Amy didn't have much choice. It was either do this, or give him up. Luckily, the echidna didn't know he was already here. She just prayed that Sonic knew what was happening. Boy, did he ever.

She got up, took a sip of her coffee, and was led out by Lien-Da, who had a gun trained on her at all times. As Sonic watched this all unfold, he felt his hand ball up into a tight fist.

Now out in the parking lot, Lien-Da directed her to a small alley behind the place. It wasn't a well-kept alley as the nearby dumpster was on the verge of overflowing. It also had a few lights hanging on the walls. The way they were set up, it looked kind of like they were following you, monitoring your every move.

She pinned the reporter against the wall with her gun still driven into her back. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this, Rose," she said viciously.

"And in an alley, too. It's a shame it wasn't on your usual corner."

She didn't like that. Not one bit. She threw Amy off the wall and in one quick motion….

SLAP!

Amy went down hard as Lien-Da retrained her gun on the hedgehog. "You son-of-a—!"

CLICK!

That was the pistol's hammer. One finger twitch and it was all over for Amy.

"Get up!" Lien-Da commanded. Amy did, not breaking eye contact with her captor. There was hate in the Rose's eyes. Lien-Da had reached an all-new low. "Sayonara, Rose." The echidna was about to pull the trigger when she felt someone tapping his shoulder. "Buzz off," she told him. The person tapped again. Frustrated, she turned around, "I'm busy here!"

WHAM!

What a roundhouse! This time, however, Lien-Da wasn't knocked out by it. Sonic then picked her up and threw her violently against the brick wall. The dominatrix rubbed her head since it bounced off the brick like a rubber ball. She grabbed her gun, but a foot was slammed against it. "Ahhh! Get off you—!" She didn't have time to finish her sentiment as she was ferociously grabbed by the coat collar and held high. The light showed her attacker's face well. It was Sonic, and he looked like he was by no means happy. "Y-You!"

Sonic threw her again, this time into the cold steel of the nearby dumpster. Sonic quickly made his way to her, grabbing the echidna again and throwing her into another wall. "Get up!" Sonic yelled. Lien-Da, beaten and bruised, was not about to go quietly. She got up and swung at Sonic, who easily dodged it. "Not quite!" She threw a few more punches, but Sonic's quick maneuvering meant the Lien-Da get punching air. "Too slow! Maybe next time! Over here! This your first time fighting or what?!" Each miss brought another insult, and she was at her wits end. It didn't help that his look of bloody murder from a moment before was now replaced by the cockier attitude she saw at the docks.

CRACK!

"Hold still and fight me!" she barked as she cracked her whip.

"Okay, but you asked for it!"

CRACK!

The bullwhip snapped and wrapped around Sonic's arm. To him, it hurt like hell, but he shot her a devilish smile. Erratically raising her eyebrow, Sonic grabbed the line and pulled the weapon away from Lien-Da before pitching it to the side. Not happy with him, she charged him and threw a fist. Sonic caught her left hook and bent her wrist in an unnatural position. As she yelped in pain, Sonic kneed her in the midsection. Doubling over, Sonic brought his hands together like he was praying and slammed Lien-Da's skull into the pavement. Writhing in pain, Lien-Da was pinned again as Sonic slammed his right foot into her head.

"I can't believe you'd hit a woman!"

Sonic then spat, "You're no woman. No self-respectin' chick dresses like you." He scoffed. "And no self-respectin' cop holds an innocent lady at gunpoint."

"She's ain't innocent of anything! You got no idea how much I hate this bi—!"

"Shut it!" Sonic said as he slammed his foot into her skull again. His tone indicated that he dropped his arrogance. It had served its purpose. "You're a sick dog who should be put down. Like right now I've got my size-13 boot perfectly placed on your upper vertebrae. All I would need to do is apply a little pressure, and you'd need a coroner and a 6-foot hole. It'd be so easy." Lien-Da would never admit or show it, but she feared for her life. Her life was completely in his hands. "But I'm not going to do that, Lien-Da."

Another foot to the back of the head! It was super effective! "I'm going to tell you this once, witch!" he then took his foot off her and picked up Lien-Da by the throat. As Lien-Da struggled to breathe, Sonic said, "If your police friends ever bother Amy again, I will make it my mission that you're all in the E.R. by sunrise! Understand?" Lien-Da, amid her struggling, nodded. "And if you ever bother Amy again, I will break your arms, I'll shatter your pelvis, I'll tear both of your ACLs, and I'll see to it that you eat all of your meals through a straw! Do you hear me?!" Lien-Da nodded. "Good. Now, you get to take a nap." Sonic dropped the leathered lady hard, and, with one well-placed punch, hit Lien-Da in the side of the head, knocking her unconscious.

He breathed heavily and starred at his work. One of the toughest customers on the MPD and Eggman payrolls was beaten soundly and savagely. She didn't stand a chance. He took both of her guns and disassembled them. He then cuffed her and, to really rub it in, quickly strung the beaten echidna on a nearby light by her own bullwhip.

After all that, Sonic looked at Amy, who was starring in disbelief and shock. She looked at Lien-Da, and then back to Sonic. Big Blue saw the fear in her eyes and was ashamed. His ears drooped down as he looked away from her.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry that you had to see that."

She could tell by his voice that he was feeling guilty for the outburst, but she put a hand on his shoulder and said, "No! That was amazing!" Sonic turned back with saddened, puppy dog eyes. "Sonic, you saved me! I-I can't thank you enough!"

"R-Really?" he said with his face softening.

"Yeah! You put her in her place!"

"I just—."

"Sonic, there's no need to defend yourself. It's okay. I'm okay." Her words felt nice, but he couldn't shake the guilt. Seeing how it still bothered him, she decided to change the subject. "You were right in saying that this wasn't a safe place to talk. My place is a lot safer."

"Y-Your place?"

"Yeah, it's in North Res. We'll be safe there. C'mon, let's go."

"Hold on a sec." Sonic zipped away and came back with his bag, the ledger, and Amy's drink.

She blushed a bit and took the coffee. "We'll take my car."

"You sure about this? He asked as they walked out of the alley.

"Positive. Besides, my brother will want to meet you."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Ugh... what a night. Work stunk like horse manure in the middle of July, but I won't bore you with the details. Instead, I'll summarize it in one sentence: NEVER IN MY LIFE HAS MY FAT ASS GOTTEN MORE THOROUGHLY KICKED THAN BY TWO ONE-GALLON JUGS OF LAUNDRY DETERGENT. If you'd like to hear the full story, I'd be more than happy to tell you.

As I'm sure a lot of you're aware, we'll finally get the chance to meet the brains behind Amy's tech, though if you know anything about the Sonic mythos, it should be rather obvious who T is. R's introduction will come soon enough, though that should be more obvious who she is.

As for this chapter, this segment was intiailly going to be more... controversial, specifically the last scene with Lien-Da. Nothing like rape or anything that extreme, but still sensitive. It's why I edited and re-edited the chapter to make Sonic more like Sonic and not Shadow (but I'm getting ahead of myself). It should be noted that Lien-Da was never supposed to be in the story to begin with. Instead, Lien-Da was supposed to come later. Initially, Lien-Da's post as SWAT leader was going to be held be Fang the Sniper/Nack the Weasel. However, since one of my inspirations for this story also had Nack in a similar relationship/role with Eggman, I decided to nix Nack (paddywack, give the dog a bone) and replace him with Lien-Dork.

I'd like to thank MissMJS and FireSonic642 for their reviews of the last chapter on (Thank you. I really appreciate it). I'd also like to to thank smkd (on deviantArt) for favoriting a lot (if not all) of the chapters to this story so far.

Next time (8/24), you'll be getting another double dose of chapters. The reason for this is 1. the chapters happen directly after one another, and 2. chapter 12 is insanely short. In fact, it's the shortest chapter of the whole story at 2823 words. For perspective, chapter 2 has been the shortest so far at 4276 words. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	11. The Quartermaster

**CHAPTER XI – THE QUARTERMASTER**

Yeah, Wikipedia was right. North Res was the most residential-looking area of the city, if not the safest. Several hundred houses lined the streets with peaceful-looking people. Many of them were having beers near bonfires, cookouts, and a few thumping parties.

As Amy turned the corner, the houses got a bit taller. They weren't stylized like normal homes. They looked more like flats than anything. The place that Amy stopped in front of was a slimmer two-story home with old-school red brick walls with cream-colored stone accents. It didn't have a big, grassy yard (actually, it didn't have one at all) like a lot of the other identical homes nearby, but it seemed cozy enough.

"It ain't much," Amy began as she got out of the car, "but it's got more to it than meets the eye."

"If you say so," Sonic said not exactly impressed. He was expecting a person like Amy to have a bigger home, especially since she lived with her brother. Come to think of it, that was another thing. "Amy, what's your brother like?" he asked as he grabbed his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. As he walked around the back bumper, he took a better look at Amy's car. It was second-generation Chevrolet Camaro with silver metallic paint, black racing stripes, polished aluminum wheels, cleaned-up chrome, and a Z28 logo. Man, what a car!

"He's got a big brain," Amy replied.

"He's smart?"

"Very. He's the one that's on the other end of my earbud," she said as she opened the door for him.

Walking in, Sonic noticed the stairwell leading upstairs first. To his left was the living room complete with a few big bookshelves, an adjacent grandfather clock in the corner, a 60-inch TV, and a vinyl record player on a smaller bookshelf next to the big-screen. To his right was the kitchen with a table set to match. There were entryways to other rooms in the living room and kitchen, which looked like they lead to the laundry room and some sort of office. The greyish-blue walls and rich, red cedar hardwood tied the place together nicely. However, something seemed a bit off. As small as the house looked on the outside, it seemed even small on the inside.

"Where's your brother?" he asked.

Amy didn't say a word. She just motioned her finger as if to say "come here," and the smug look on her face signaled that maybe Sonic was in for something that would knock his socks off. Sonic eventually walked up to her, remaining skeptical. Amy then took a key that rested on top of the grandfather clock. She unlocked the clock to get to the internal workings of the machine.

"Watch this."

She turned to the clock's face and began pressing some of the hour numbers. With each number she pressed, Sonic heard a click. 4-6-8-9. Then, from the small extension of the face that held the clock's hands, a small camera popped out. It began a scan of Amy's face.

"RETINAL SCAN ACCEPTED," a synthesized voice said. "ACCESS GRANTED."

The bookshelf to the right of the clock then started whirring. Next, it lifted off the ground ever so slightly. It then pushed itself outward and slid to the right, revealing a well-lit grey staircase. Sonic stood there in the middle of the living room in absolute shock as Amy had revealed to him a secret staircase behind a bookcase like it was from episode of Scooby-Doo.

His duffel bag of cash crashed to ground because of his disbelief. The shelf itself was attached to the wall and lifted off the floor by a complex series of machines. This way, the bookcase wouldn't skid along the cedar floor and maybe create suspicion that something was behind it.

"Impressed?" she asked with a grin.

Sonic couldn't even speak, much less move. His eyes were as big saucers, and his mouth was wide open. "C'mon, my brother's down here." She started to go down, but he didn't. Amy came back up, shook her head, and lead him by the arm. "Let's go."

Giving in, he followed her down, but not before freeing his arm. If he was going to get led down to some sort or torture chamber to his possible demise, he would do it on his own terms.

The staircase itself spiraled around and around. Sonic took a mental note of how deep it really was. He was surprised to see that Amy had a secret basement (concealed behind by a bookcase no less), but he was a bit nervous as to what her brother was doing down here or who he was if this place was a closely-guarded secret. How could it not be? While this may have been the reason the house looked bigger on the inside, it wasn't exactly normal to have a secret stairway.

They reached the bottom, and Sonic took a good look around the place. The first thing he noticed was that the room was very large and tall. He estimated about two stories high. The walls and ceiling were dark grey—almost black—but the lights up top kept the place well-lit. The second thing he noticed was on his right side: a workbench with a lot of drawers. On the top of it was what looked like various projects. Was Amy's brother an inventor? To his left were framed newspaper clippings, each highlighting something that Amy uncovered in her Rascal persona. Drug deals, dirty cops getting convicted, corrupt lawmakers tendering their resignations; the list goes on. At the end of the wall was some sort of doctoral table with various drugs. Hell, there was even a bag or two of I.V. It seemed like Amy's kin fancied himself an anatomist. That, or he was really into first aid.

The pièce de résistance, however, was at the end of the room. The entire back wall was filled monitors that curved inwards. They didn't have any borders like a conventional TV, but rather they were LED screens that were placed and programmed in such a way that they projected a large image, kind of like the TVs at a Las Vegas sportsbook. Some of the screens were devoted to other things. One looked like it was on the AMG Channel. Another looked like it was for security with a live feed of Amy and Sonic walking toward the main computer. At the end of it all, there was somebody working diligently behind a large chair. Sonic couldn't make out his face, much less what he looked like, but he figured that was Amy's brother. This was probably his secret lab.

"We're here," Amy said as she took out her earbud and tossed it on the long workbench.

"I noticed," the man responded. "I hope you know what you're doing bringing him here."

"Hey!" Sonic said, taking offense to that.

"Calm down. It's the safest place I could think of."

"Well, you got that right." Getting out of his chair and turning around, he revealed himself to the blue blur. The man looked like he was in his early-20s. He wasn't a bad-looking fox with his gold fur and baby blue eyes that could break your heart. He had three longer hairs on his forehead, kind of like his sister, but they were gold like his fur. His muzzle was made entirely of white hair as was his chest. But what really distinguished him was what was behind him: two fluffy tails. "So, you're the person who saved my big sis. I suppose I should thank you." Sonic nodded, but he couldn't help but be distracted by the tails that moved in tandem. Amy's brother followed Sonic's line of sight and noticed what he was starring at. "Yeah, you're not the first one to gawk at 'em."

Sonic immediately cursed himself for doing that. "Ah! Sorry! It's just—!"

The fox snickered. "Calm down, Sonic. It happens with everyone I meet. I'm used to it."

"Sonic," Amy said, "this is my brother."

"Miles Prower," the fox said ( ** _Miles "Tails" Prower: Justin Timberlake_** ). "But everyone calls me 'Tails.'"

"Heh," Sonic chuckled as he shook his hand. "Can't imagine why. I'm Sonic."

"I'm aware." Tails crossed his arms. "So, Amy tells me that you've got some necessary information?"

"That can wait," Amy said. Sonic looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "Since we're home, I want to take a shower. I had a long night."

"But what about—?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic," Tails interrupted, "if there's one thing I've learned while living with women, it's never get between a woman and her bathroom."

"Gee, thanks," Amy said in a snarky way.

"Anytime."

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes," Amy said as she went to leave.

"Um… the rest of your gadgets?"

Amy turned around. "Hmm? Oh, right." Amy made a quick stop at Tails' workbench to take off the gold bracelets, her contacts, and a white ball of fluff from her coat pocket. Each of them went into a different drawer. When she was done, she left the lab.

Sonic's eyes were fixed on the workbench and Amy. His eyes darted back-and-forth between the two. While he did notice that she did have a nice figure, he was more intrigued in what she left at the workbench. He could buy that the bracelets were a gadget. But a fluff ball and contact lenses?

Sonic turned around to Tails who had a disapproving look on his face. "You're in my house for not even ten minutes, and you're already checking out my sister."

Sonic's face went bright red. "No! That's not what I—! That's n—!"

"Hahaha!" Sonic's stuttering stopped when Tails laughed.

"What's so funny?!"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see what your reaction would be."

Sonic shook his head. "Slick bastard. Hey, I got a question."

"Go ahead."

"Amy—."

"No, she doesn't have a boyfriend." Sonic sighed and facepalmed. "Sorry, I'll stop. What were you going to say?"

Sonic took a deep breath and asked, "Amy… her bracelets. I saw her grapple up to that building at the docks. She did it on the crane too. What the hell was with that?"

Tails smirked. "Follow me." Tails walked past Sonic to the workbench as his guest followed closely.

"You invent those bracelets?" Sonic asked.

"Along with most of the stuff in this room. The large computer was a lot of customization. The screens were easy to buy, but the other materials weren't easy to come by."

"Next question. How'd you afford all this?"

Tails stopped at workbench and rested. "Amy and I have a friend in G.U.N. that helped pay for all of this. I have a contract on the side with G.U.N. making some black ops equipment."

"And they allow you to use it?"

"I invented this tech! Amy and I have a right to! The same agent also paid for the renovations around the house."

"Renovations including a plus-size basement?"

"You're a quick study," Tails said smugly.

"I was taught to adapt quickly."

"Fair enough. Wasn't an easy paperwork battle with the city, but out friend helped them make the right decision."

"What, did he threaten them?"

" _She_ ," Tails corrected. "And no. It took a lot of money, but we got it to happen. But enough about that." He opened the drawer with the bracelets and put one of them on. "A 14-karat gold bracelet with a special cut of yellow amber—not easy to find, by the way—on the main plate. There are many bracelets to fit different species from humans to elephants to hedgehog and foxes. Different species of different weights means differently sized wrists. This one fits mine, obviously. Alone, you'd just think that this is a fancy piece of bling with a hard-to-get piece of fossilized resin. However," he began as he jerked his wrist inward to reveal a small grappling hook, "inside the gold plate is 100 yards-worth of specially made metallic string. Not easy to make, but very strong. The line itself can hold up to half a metric ton—that's 1,100 pounds—without breaking. Not even a pair of scissors would be strong enough to cut it."

"How do use it?"

"Easy. First you raise your arm like this," he said as he raised his arm upward. "Aim carefully, and then you jerk your wrist down like so." When he did, the line shot out quickly and clung to the ceiling. Sonic was amazed as Tails's body zipped up to the ceiling at break-neck speeds. Tails stopped just before what would've been a nasty collision with the ceiling tiles. "And presto!"

"Holy…!"" Sonic exclaimed.

"The grapple itself was heavily modified to tell when its wearer is getting close to a target, say like the roof of a building. The sensor on the hook will tell the small engine in the bracelet to slow down so that the wearer wouldn't zip to the top of building, land, and be noisy in the process. I had that problem with the Mark-I bracelets, and Amy nearly flew off a billboard because of it. This way, the Mark-II bracelets are safer to use. There is also the option to turn off the safe-ascent program in case you need to make a quick escape like if bullets are flying."

"That's cool and all, but how do you get down?"

"With me, there are a few ways. First, you could jerk your hand down again to retract the wire, but if you're suspended in the air like I am, you'll just fall flat on the ground and risk becoming road pizza. Another way is to jerk your wrist inward toward your body like so." He did as he said and began to rappel downwards at a decent rate. "Doing this will help rappel you down a surface safely. Think of it as scaling down a steep mountain, or in Amy's case, a city building. I should also note the more you jerk your wrist in, the faster you'll go down. When you're not latched on to something or stationary, jerking your wrist inward will the open up the grapple like I showed you earlier. You can grab it freely to do with the wire as you please."

"So if I wanted to strangle somebody?"

"Yes, and I don't doubt that some G.U.N. black ops agent has already done that for a stealthy kill. However, Amy and I aren't ones for killing. But the option is there should you need it." Tails then jerked his wrist downward, releasing the grapple. The wire quickly retracted into the bracelet, but Tails was falling from the high ceiling.

"WHOA!" Sonic yelled as he moved to catch him. Suddenly, Tails spun his namesake around quickly, hovering in the air over Sonic's head. Big Blue couldn't believe his eyes. A land creature literally flying like a bird.

Tails then stopped when he touched back down. Sonic was still in shock. "But otherwise, it's a pretty nifty tool. Amy's been able to chain them together in tandem. She does that to swing across the rooftops like Spider-Man, but she only does that to escape the authorities if she's caught." Tails only finally got back in front Sonic and was put off by Sonic's stunned face. "What? What is it? Do I have something in my teeth?"

"H-How did y-you fly?"

"What do you—? Oh, my tails. Well, you know how I got my nickname. I got bullied a lot as a kid for looking like a freak with these things. I hated them for the longest time. When I got mad enough, these things would move like they were possessed. One day, they moved so quickly that they began to spin like helicopter blades. I found myself in the air, and my tormentors were in total shock. Let me tell ya, these babies have gotten me out of some tight jams. I like to think that since I have double the amount of tails, I have double the IQ of a normal person. You're probably thinking that it's pretty freaky." Tails acted a little embarrassed.

"Dude, no! That's amazing!" Sonic went from shocked to in awe at the drop of a hat.

Tails's face softened. "Really?"

"Tails, that's awesome! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Hehe, thanks. So, you don't think I'm a freak?"

"Dude, I'm a hedgehog who can run at the speed of sound," Sonic said flatly.

"Heh. Touché."

"Mind if I try them out?"

Tails looked down at the bracelet, then back to Sonic with a cunning grin. "Knock yourself out." Tails tossed the pieces of gold to Sonic. The hedgehog quickly slipped them on. Perfect fit. "Now remember—."

"Hey, what could possibly go wrong?" Sonic shot back quickly.

"Famous last words."

Sonic rolled his eyes and took aim at the ceiling. With flick of the wrist….

PEW! ZIP!

"Whooooooooooooooooa!" Sonic screamed as he soared to the ceiling. "This is awesome!" Just as Tails said, the grapple slowed down and stopped as it got to the top. Sonic hung like a piñata as he surveyed the tall basement. "Hey, I did it!"

"You haven't earned your wings yet! Try and get down now!"

"Got it!" Sonic then gently turned wrist towards his body and began to rappel down the line slowly. Really slowly. Like "boring" slowly. He was getting annoyed fast, and this was the fastest it could go! With a flick of the wrist, the cable disconnected and he began to fall.

"Sonic!"

Big Blue had a big smile on his face as he shot another line at the ceiling, stopping his fall. Just as quickly, he flicked his wrist again to release the grapple. Sonic landed kneeling on his left leg. When he brought his face up, there was a wicked smile on his face. Tails shook his head as he walked to Sonic.

"Nothing to it," Sonic said as he brought his arm forward. However, his wrist went limp for just a moment, and the grapple shot out a line, surprising the two. The grapple was aimed Tails's workbench and grabbed a small engine part. It quickly zipped back towards the two. Tails turned around and braced for impact, but Sonic caught the metallic piece as the wire returned to the bracelet. Tails loosened up and saw Sonic's puzzled face. "I, uh… meant to do that."

"Sure you did," Tails said sarcastically as he grabbed the part. "Hmm, I'll be honest. I didn't think that you could grab stuff with the grapple. I thought that the weight of the thing you'd try to seize would weigh down the chord and have it drag you on the ground or vice versa. But the line shoots out and retracts so quickly that it doesn't matter so long as the item you're trying to acquire is significantly less massive and heavy than the person working the bracelet."

"Ugh…," Sonic groaned. "You lost me at 'seize.' If you're going to explain stuff, speak English."

Tails scoffed. "You sound like Amy."

Sonic took the wristband off and gave it back to Tails. "Nice party trick. Anything else?"

"Of course!"

Tails went back to the workbench and put the bracelet back in its drawer. He then opened another drawer to the left and took out a small, white bean-looking thing. It had two twistable knobs on it. One was white, the other was turquoise. He quickly opened both up, took what was inside, and gave them to Sonic.

"A pair of contacts?" Sonic asked.

" _Specially_ made contacts," Tails corrected. "They come in different shapes and sizes for the different species that wear them. Amy uses these to help her with recon."

"Recon, eh? So, what's makes them special?"

"Well, what do you notice about them?"

Sonic studied them, even turning them around, trying to find something peculiar. Stumped, he said, "I give up."

Tails chuckled. "At first glance, they seem like normal lenses. Now hold them up to a light."

Sonic cocked an eyebrow, but he did as he was directed. When he did, he saw something circular, yet square-looking in the middle. It looked like… wiring? Whatever it was, it was as close to clear as you could get.

"Is there some kind of circuitry in these things?" Sonic asked.

"Yep. The only way to see it is if you hold it up to a light, just like if you were checking a $100 bill to see if it's real."

"But… how…?"

" _That_ was the hardest part of the design. Finding a conductor that was clear and able to fit in this wasn't a walk in the park, even for a guy like me."

"But what's it good for?"

"These lenses are the most versatile pieces of equipment that Amy uses."

"Are you going to tell me what they're good for, or are you going to make me guess?" Sonic asked, getting impatient.

"Er… right. Sorry about that. These lenses are connected to my computer. Everything that Amy sees, I see."

"It's a camera?"

"Among other things. Put them on, and I'll show you." Sonic looked at Tails, unsure if he could trust him, but he did it anyway.

"So, you need the wiring and circuitry to be transparent so that the wearer can actually see what they're doing."

"Correct. They in yet?"

"Yeah."

"Alright." Tails cleared his throat. "Computer, calibrate lenses."

"LENSES CALIBRATED," it replied.

"Look at the screen, Sonic." He looked up and… holy crap! When Sonic looked at the monitors, we saw an endless line of the same monitors! When he looked at Tails, he could see the fox on the screen in his peripheral vision.

"Holy Chaos! They work!"

"That's not all. Bring up the HUD."

Suddenly, light blue shapes appeared in Sonic's line of sight. His eyes were having a hard time keeping track of it all, but the appearance of shapes stopped. Sonic looked at Tails, and then a display came up, showing Tails's face, his name, weight, fur color, eye color, blood type; everything!

"Uh, Tails?" Sonic fearfully asked.

"You're seeing my physical stats, right?"

"Yeah!"

"That's the 'Heads-Up Display,' or 'HUD' for short. With this up, the wearer can look at a person and get their information, except maybe for anything financial or monetary. Amy uses this to keep track of criminals. Since its connected to my computer, and since I have access to the National Criminal Database, any criminal's history can be brought up almost instantly. And that's just the beginning."

"You mean there's more?!"

"Yes. Computer, turn down the lights." Suddenly, it was dark. Sonic could barely see the fox. "Night vision." On Sonic's end, he saw in green and black, but more importantly, he saw Tails.

"Night vision lenses. Cool!"

"Night vision off. Lights back on." In a moment's notice, everything went back to normal in the lab. "The lenses have various settings that help Amy stay one step ahead of everyone else. They can also track heat signatures, record video, take in more light by boosting the gamma—that's what Amy was talking about on the crane earlier—and it's got a black light feature. But Detection Vision is the most important and useful."

"What's that?"

"Computer, Detection Vision."

Sonic's view was changed again. This time, he saw everything in a darker shade of blue. When he turned to Tails…. "WHAT THE HELL?!" Sonic saw Tails only as a transparent, cyan-colored skeleton, and the fox's moving tails creeped him out in this mode. Then there was a prompt in his HUD that was attached to Tails. Not only did it give his name, but also his heart rate and current state of being, which read "calm."

"Scared stiff, are we?" Tails asked smugly. When he spoke, Sonic saw what looked like sound waves coming out of his neck; more specifically, his vocal chords.

"Uh… uh…!" What could Sonic say? From his point-of-view, he was talking to a kitsune skeleton.

"Detection Vision off."

Sonic's lenses then went back normal. Tails was no longer a skeleton, and the lab looked normal.

"Wha… what the hell was that?!"

"Detection Vision. I call it 'D.V.' When the D.V. is activated, you can see the skeletons of people, but also more of their physical stats, like their heart rate. D.V. can also tell you if someone's armed with a weapon. If they are, those people turn orange to help you tell the difference. It also has a forensic scanner built in for good measure."

"Forensic scanner?"

"It breaks down a substance sample and gives you the results. If it's blood, it'll show you whose DNA it is. If it's a something like bleach, it'll give you the chemical breakdown. Bleach, for example, is sodium hypochlorite, or NaClO. It's perfect for following trails. Amy uses it track her targets. Are you still with me?"

Sonic nodded and couldn't keep the amazed smile off his face. "How did you think of all this?"

"I didn't. I got it from a videogame."

"Games are one thing, but actually implementing them is another. This is incredible!"

"And there's one more thing the lenses can do. But you'll need the Fluff for that."

"The what?"

Tails opened a draw and threw something triangular, white, and soft to Sonic. "The Fluff."

Sonic held it up and down and all around, but he didn't see what was so special about it. " _This_ is a gadget?"

Tails groaned. "Feel around the Fluff."

"Trust me, I do every night."

Tails clutched the bridge of his nose with two fingers and groaned as Sonic chuckled. "No… I mean do you feel anything odd about it?"

Sonic did a more thorough search and sensed what felt like a sack of some sort. He pinched it and felt that something else was inside. In all, it felt like he was squeezing a small, furry beanbag.

"I feels like some sort of pouch."

"Correct."

"Wait…," Sonic said as a disgusted face slowly came on, "this isn't _real_ fur, is it?"

"No, but it was made to feel exactly like it." A feeling of relief washed over Sonic. Tails then walked up to him and took the fur from Sonic's hands.

"So how is this a gadget?"

Tails smugly smirked and held the fur on Sonic's chest. "Right where my finger is, can you feel something?"

Sonic raised his eyebrow and felt a small device. "A button?"

"Press it, but make sure it's held against your body," Tails said as he let go. Sonic, not ready, dropped the Fluff, but caught it. He then held it back on his chest so that the triangular fur was pointing downward like a down arrow on an elevator. Sonic got a hold of the button and pressed it.

CLICK!

Suddenly, he shuddered and wiggled around like a load of fleas crawled on him. He felt them go all over, starting at his chest and eventually the rest of his body. This lasted about five seconds, and Sonic stopped fidgeting like a crackhead.

"What was that?!" he screamed in horror.

"Look at the monitor."

Sonic turned to computer which now had him on the big screen. He was left stunned as the Fluff stayed perfectly still on his chest. But that's when things got weird as Sonic's fur began turning black. Suddenly red streaks also appeared on his arms, legs, quills, and around his eyelids. It was a case of Jekyll and Hyde as Sonic saw his body transforming. His tan belly was now jet black. Four of his quills emitted a small electrical current and flipped upwards. His eyelids stretched out a bit on the end, making him look like he was always mad or demonic. His paler muzzle was given a tan. But the cherry on top was when he saw his emerald green eyes turn blood red. He looked in utter shock as his body transformed almost instantly. Even though he saw his eyelids change their shape and that he saw his quills emit some static discharge, he didn't feel a thing. He looked down at his hands and arms, and they were black with streaks of red. Sonic's lip quivered as he looked at Tails as if he had seen a ghost. His breathing was heavy and sporadic. Sonic looked like he could keel over at a moment's notice.

"Wha-Wha-What did you do to me?!" Sonic screamed in horror. Tails laughed. "This isn't funny, fox! What the hell did you do to me?!"

"Sonic, calm down. You're not hurt, are you?"

"But I look like I broke out of hell!"

"Sonic, calm down!" Tails yelled. "What happened to you was the best damn camouflaging that you'll ever witness."

" _WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!_ "

"Try and take off the fluff."

He looked down and then back at Tails. The fox nodded as if to tell him to get on with it. Sonic grabbed the fluff and pulled as he still breathed heavily. Nothing. He pulled a little harder. Still nothing. Then he pulled with all his might and began hurting. It was like he was trying to rip off his own chest fur!

"Give up?"

"Tails!" Sonic yelled, getting impatient and more freaked out by each passing second.

"Okay, okay! I'm have had my fun. Now cool your jets, 'cause you're still Sonic, and you're still perfectly fine."

"How?! I just changed colors! My quills just bent like a broken arm!"

"The small sack the fluff had contains thousands of microbots that can cover your entire body in a matter of seconds. The bots then take in light from their surroundings and can bounce it back in any color you can think of. They're also connected to the contacts and my computer."

"So… So, you're saying that they can change my fur color?" Sonic said as he began to calm down.

"Exactly! They also emit a small, static charge that can alter your body by affecting the nerves. The shock neutralizes your nerves for a few seconds so that the microbots can slightly alter your body, like how your eyelids went from round to triangular. The static also made your quills go up. Either way, the person wearing the Fluff isn't going to feel a thing when they transform."

"Does that mean I'm stuck like this?!"

"No. The Fluff is used to quickly disguise yourself. It's linked to the contacts, like I said earlier. All you need to do is hold the Fluff on your chest, hit the small button, and then the microbots will race across your body and camouflage you. The sack that held them decompresses so thinly that it feels like actual skin. The button that activates the Fluff is small and invisible to the naked eye, although if someone touches your fake chest fur, they can find the button, so be careful. All in all, Amy uses this whenever she's accidentally discovered. A few of your quills are bent straight up, and your fur's black and red. When she activates the Fluff, she turns into a female version of what you look like now, red eyes and all."

Sonic took another look at the screen and focused on the eyes. "Is this what you meant by the last feature of the lenses? That they can change your eye color?"

"Yes and no. They don't actually change your eye color; they just reflect a different color so that you aren't as easily recognized. However, it can only change your eye color when you have the Fluff equipped. The best part is that I can customize your current look from my computer. So, if I wanted you to look like a gold-metallic hedgehog with red eyes and your quills all up, I can change it on my end. What you're looking at now is what we can the 'Shadow Preset,' since it makes whomever is wearing the Fluff to look like a dark, walking shadow. You still with me?"

"I think so. But how do I change back?"

"That's easy. Just click the button again."

Sonic couldn't press it fast enough. Soon after, he noticed his fur turn back to its usual royal blue, he felt his quills flop back down, and he felt his skin crawl again as the microbots convened and moved back into the Fluff's pouch. When he was back to normal, the Fluff fell off his chest, but Sonic caught it and gave it back to Tails.

"I think I hated the crawling the most. Felt like my skin was alive."

"Yeah, I haven't figured out a way for the bots to not do that."

"Still, that was cool. Freaky and sobering as all hell, but cool." Tails smiled. Sonic turned back to the workbench. "Anything else?"

"Not much besides a slew of earbuds with specially supped-up microphones that help Amy hear conversations better. And me."

As Sonic surveyed the rest of the bench, he came across a pair of big red, white, black, and gold shoes. The ankles and heels were black with red on the end, they had smooth, white tops, red rims around the bottom, gold rings that held the shoes' red tongues, and some sort of golden circles on the bottom.

"Hey, what about these?" Sonic asked.

"Those are a work-in-progress. They're called 'Air Shoes.'"

"What can these babies do?" Sonic held one up to get a closer look at them.

"They don't work—not yet anyway—but they're supposed to act like skates. They take in air and propel you forward at high speeds. They're also supposed to help you hover, maybe even fly for a short bit. You're supposed to be able to fit and entirely different shoe in them as well."

"Wow!"

"But like I said, they're a work-in-progress. I'm actually considering scraping the project."

Sonic looked at Tails curiously. "Why?"

"Because if they were to propel you at high speeds, much less make you fly, the shoes would overheat almost instantly and horribly burn the person using them."

"Dang. Just something you have to keep working on, right?"

"What it's doing is driving me up the wall. As it stands, they're almost as ordinary as Nikes."

"So how would they hold another shoe inside?"

Tails reached to the side and clicked a small button. The top half of the shoes, which included portions of their gold rings, opened upwards. "Slide your feet in." Sonic did so with both shoes. He pressed the button to close them. Sonic quickly noticed how it felt like something was inflating around his usual red sneakers.

"The shoes were made big for holding someone's foot and shoe inside them. When they're in, the insides of the Air Shoe will inflate to fit around the wearer's regular shoe. This makes them stay at a light weight, but it is still a bit clunky to walk around in bigger shoes."

"But I could walk around and not feel like anything's different, right?"

"That's the intent."

Sonic walked around for a bit to get used to them. Sonic found that he did trip once or twice given their size.

"Your foot doesn't feel heavier, but it's harder to walk in them."

"So I noticed. Do I press the button on the side to get out of these things?" Tails nodded, and Sonic pressed the shoes' buttons. They quickly deflated, and Sonic set the shoes back on the workbench.

"Showing Sonic the toys, bro?" The boys turned around to see Amy in a grey t-shirt and some black shorts. Her quills were a bit wet from the shower.

"Just finishing up," Tails said. "You should've seen his face when he tried out the Fluff."

"Thanks, Tails," Sonic said in a deadpan tone.

"Trust me, blue boy," Amy began as she walked by Sonic, "it doesn't feel any nicer the more you use it." A few benches suddenly rose from the floor near Tails's chair. Tails sat down in his seat while Amy took up one of the benches. Tails then typed something into the keyboard.

"What're you doing?" Sonic asked. Big Blue then noticed a framed picture on the computer's desk. It looked like it had smaller, younger versions of Amy and Tails as well as… two sets of parents? Tails saw what Sonic was looking at and turned the photo down. So, wait… they weren't brother and sister? Actually, that would explain why the two had different last names. But why were they living together?

"Sonic," Amy began, "Tails is setting up a polygraph test."

"A what?" he asked, not paying attention to her.

"A polygraph test measures how honest you are. When you speak, it'll sample how honest your speech pattern is. In short, it's how we can tell if you're telling the truth or not."

"O-Okay."

"So… about this story you've got for us?"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

This was going to be uploaded later, BUT MY COMPUTER THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO CUT OUT AND BE AN OUTRIGHT DICK! Rant aside, let's talk about the chapter.

Yes, Tails and Amy are brother and sister in this canon... or are they? Tails is to Q as Sonic (and Amy by extension) is to 007, hence the chapter title. If you don't get that, watch some of the Sean Connery James bond movies. Tails is the gadget maker, something that I believe fits him into the story nicely.

Then there's Shadow. He was going to be a tough sell in this canon. What I mean by that is that I had the hardest time figuring out how to include him into this AU. This, however, ties back to when I first introduced this version of Amy with the Fluff. I kind of satirized how SA2 made it that Sonic and Shadow were so identical that they were mistaken for one another (despite it not making any sense in the game considering they look completely opposite). This takes it a step further and makes them one and the same... except without the name of "Shadic." How I wrote him in, I think it's a unique way of introducing a character into a story.

Anyway, chapter 12 will be up momentarily, so be on the lookout for it! As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.

SIDENOTE: I forgot to add this in the original A/N. I want to thank MissMJS and FireSonic642 for their reviews on chapter 10. I appreciate the feedback!


	12. His Side of the Story

**CHAPTER XII – HIS SIDE OF THE STORY**

Sonic took in a deep breath and sighed loudly. He then groaned.

"Something wrong?" Amy asked.

"Definitely. You guys are going to want to sit down for—," then he realized it. "Oh, you already are. Right," he said rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sonic, focus," said Tails. "Start at the beginning." Sonic nodded and sighed heavily.

"I guess I should start with how I came into Eggman's possession."

"Eggman's possession?" Amy asked. "What're you talking about?"

"Twenty-five years ago, my brother and I were supposedly adopted by a man who wanted to save Mobotropolis."

"Eggman doesn't want to save this city. He wants to destroy it."

"Are you going to interrupt me every time I say something?" Sonic said, getting annoyed with her talking.

"Alright, alright," she said, getting the idea. "I'll shut up."

"Thank you. Let me start again." He drew in a breath. "I never knew who my real parents were. I still don't. All I was told about them was that they hated my brother and me for being like we are: fast and freaky. We were told that they didn't love us, so they left us at an orphanage, hoping that some poor saps would pick us up and make us their problem. But along came a man who saw potential in us. He could tell that my twin brother and I were 'born' with special gifts and abilities. He loved the city that he lived in, but he knew that the city was dying. It needed something to save it. Or rather, it needed _someone_. That person was Eggman."

"And you said that Eggman killed your brother?"

"Don't jump ahead. You need to hear this." Amy held up her hands in defense as Sonic was getting testier and testier. You'd think after the first time she butted in to the conversation, she'd have stopped there. "Eggman named my brother Green because of his fur, and me Blue for the same reason. For 25 years, we were held away from society under the pretense of us being and staying 'uncorrupted.' Each day was the same thing. We would wake up, do some training, get our lesson of the outside world, eat, train again, rinse and repeat with the occasional rest day. Eggman wasn't there for us all the time—we were told he had business to deal with the city. Knowing he couldn't be there to watch us 24/7, he built a robotic rabbit when we were first 'adopted' to give us our lessons."

"A robotic bunny?" Tails asked half-heartedly. "Okay… now you're starting to sound crazy."

"He still hasn't tripped up the polygraph yet," Amy reminded. Tails opened his mouth, but shut it defeat.

"If you two are done?" Sonic asked. They nodded apologetically. "Anyway, she was built and modified over the years to accommodate modern technology advancements. She was called the Caring, Recreational, Education Attendant Machine, or CREAM for short. CREAM the Rabbit. She was built with every emotion that a person would have, and she was programmed to be the mother figure we lacked. Are you still following along just fine?"

"Question," Tails began, "You said that you and your brother trained. How so?"

"Green and I were taught by CREAM how to fight and fight goddamn well. For over two decades, we were taught every known form of martial art and a few you've never heard of. We'd practice on CREAM when it came to learning the basic techniques, but Eggman had robots shipped in to spar with us."

"Robots? As is Robotnik's robots?"

Sonic nodded. "We were trained how to disarm and combat every kind of aggressive and dangerous situation. This was all going to culminate on July 1st when Eggman would bring us to the public, and Green and I would work with him to save Mobotropolis."

"But what happened that made you turn?" Amy asked.

Sonic sighed. "We were told what was actually happening. Eggman had 'enrolled' us in the Sonic Program, his name for our training and way of life. The Program was going to begin its second phase on July 1st. But a few days ago, we found out what was really going on. We found out what the Sonic Program really was."

"And what was it?"

"A sick and twisted plot that will mean the end of freedom for everyone on the planet." Tails and Amy sat there, stunned by his words. Sonic saw their faces and could see that they weren't convinced.

"Maybe you are crazy," Amy said, starting to side with Tails.

"Polygraph says otherwise." Amy's brow furrowed at Sonic's words. The siblings looked at each other with spooked and scared faces. "The Sonic Program was actually the Sonic _Project_. It's split into three phases. The first phase began 25 years ago. Do you know what happened in Mobotropolis in 1991?"

They thought about it, then Amy got it. "The Baby Scare?" Sonic nodded. The siblings looked at each other in disbelief once again. "Y-You're telling me that you and all of this are connected to the freaking Baby Scare of '91?!" Sonic nodded again.

Amy's eyes bugged out as she and Tails darted at the screen. There were still no signs of him lying. It was all coming in clean. Finally realizing what he was and what this meant, her wide, jade green eyes were shielded by her hands as she began to cry.

Tails didn't shed any tears, but he was damn close to doing it. His lower lip quivering, he ran his hands over his face and pulled the hair on top of his head. They slowly moved to the back of his skull as he bowed his head and tried to cope with Sonic's revelation.

Amy sobbed for a few moments, only stopping when Tails realized what she was doing. He got up and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Her breathing was choppy and peppered with blubbering.

"That… That son-of-a-bitch did the Baby Scare?!" She suddenly screamed out.

"Yes," Sonic said with some guilt in his voice.

"How could he?!"

"Because it was all a part of the Sonic Project. I wasn't born with my powers. He gave them to me when my brother and I were babies. We didn't have a choice. For weeks, he had his robots steal babies across the city. He had them taken to that oil rig off the coast where he'd inject them all with a serum that would give them my powers. The reason the kidnappings dragged on for so long was because Eggman couldn't get the formula right. Anytime it was injected, the test subjects couldn't handle it and died." He took in a sharp breath. "Is it possible for an infant to die from cardiac arrest?"

"Why were you and your brother the only survivors?" Tails asked.

Sonic shook his head. "I wish I knew. The serum altered me and brother so that we could run at supersonic speeds, have heightened reflexes, take more punishment, and a few other assorted abilities. In all, we were given the ability to become the most advanced people on the planet. Which brings us to the second phase.

"Phase II's goal was to develop Green and me to become the best fighters. That's what me and Green lived with for our entire lives. The real purpose, however, was to document our moves. Everything from karate chops to roundhouse kicks was captured by Eggman whenever we trained. Those moves would then be downloaded onto microchips into—and you won't believe me when I say this—clones of Green and me." That definitely caught their attention. "Ironically, the clones are the reason I'm still alive. It took Eggman years to finally successfully clone me and Green. He couldn't do it years ago because—."

"The tech didn't exist," Tails said.

"Bingo."

"So Eggman's going unleash clones of you and your brother to take over the world?" Sonic nodded. "But what's that got to do with these microchips you talked about?"

"I don't know how specifically Eggman was able to put the chips in, but all you need to know is that those chips are in each of the clones' brains. Not only are they perfect, physical copies of me and Green, but they can do everything that we can do thanks to those chips. The only difference is that they don't have free will. That chip takes it away, and they can be given any command from making toast to ripping off someone's head."

"And Eggman's the only one who can control them?"

"Yes. However, he needed a way to get them across the world. Eggman used his black-market connections to sell sets of clones to shady characters all over the world. When the clones are sold, they'll be shipped out by boats, planes, trains, trucks, and any other way of distribution you can think of. Whoever bought them will be able to control however many clones he or she bought. Dictators, guerilla fighters, presidents; they would control them, at least at first. Once enough clones are around the world, Eggman will unleash his Eggmanland Protocol."

"His what?" Amy asked, still reeling from the news.

"The Eggmanland Protocol: the Sonic Project's third and final phase. When the clones spread out enough, he'll activate it. What it does is activate those chips so that they only respond to Eggman. They'll turn on their handlers and kill them. After that, the clones will go from place-to-place and take down every form of government and official you can think of. Village elders to secretaries of state are not safe, and the clones will end their lives before they even know what hit 'em. They are 10,000 clones remaining. His estimations say that every form of domestic and foreign government will be toppled within 48 hours, and the clones will be his police force. They'll squash any kind of resistance."

Tails and Amy sat in silence. Sonic could see their eyes, and he saw that they were having a hard time coping with the news. It was a lot to take in. Amy hung her head in defeat while Tails continued to grab the back of his head as he kept his eyes shut.

"I know it's a lot to process—."

"You got that right," Amy interrupted. "Chaos! And did you say _10,000_ clones?!" He nodded, and she sighed. "Well… you were right, Sonic," she said nervously. "This _is_ the story of the fucking century."

"But there is hope."

Amy and Tails looked at him in disbelief. "How?! The world's going to end in a few days!"

"There were 11,000 clones initially—."

"There's more?!" they screamed.

"Easy! Calm down! I said there _were_ 11,000. There were 1,000 that blew up on the oil rig the other night, and what's left of them are still in the city!" Tails and Amy took note of that detail.

"Where?" Tails asked.

"I'm not sure."

The siblings groaned. "No offense, Sonic, but you not knowing where they are doesn't fill me with hope!" Amy said.

"I don't know where they are specifically, but I know that the clones are located underneath 20 business in the city, all of which are owned by Robotnik Enterprises. There are cloning facilities that hold 500 clones each."

"Right under his partner's big nose?" Amy asked. "Why would Eggman do that to Robotnik? He must have some serious balls to hide them underneath his biggest partner's businesses."

"Amy, I don't think it's that simple," Tails said.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Sonic said that a robotic bunny trained him, and he trained against other robots that Robotnik supplied. Eggman supposedly has cloning plants under some of Robotnik's buildings."

"So?"

Tails groaned. "You're the journalist! Connect the dots!"

Amy thought about it for a second. "Wait, Robotnik and Eggman are partners on this?! Why?! I mean, Robotnik's as crooked as a bent pipe, but why would he be involved in all of this?!"

"Because," Sonic began, "Eggman and Robotnik are the same person. The Eggman persona is just an alias."

Then Sonic could see the lightbulb turn on in Tails's head.

"Of course!" Tails exclaimed. "It makes perfect sense! Robotnik's the kind of guy who wants it all! Several of his business acquisitions over the years have been attributed to, but never proven, sabotaged deals. He made the Eggman identity to wreck his competitors, and then as Robotnik, he could easily buy those places, put his people in, and grow his criminal empire."

"When it comes to how Robotnik Enterprises operates, you're exactly right," Sonic said.

"He couldn't just outright buyout some of his competitors, so he had to twist their arm a bit. And then, it was only a matter of paying off the right people so that the Robotnik name stayed clean. Well, for the most part." Tails sighed. "Ingenious."

"But this isn't about business deals anymore, Tails," Amy said in a desperate tone. "This is about how he wants to take over the world! He's got to be taken down, and it needs to be soon." She turned back to Sonic. "Is there anything else we need to know?"

"Other than the fact that Robotnik's really a megalomaniacal zealot, I don't think so. If I missed a detail or two and remember it, I'll let you know as soon as it crosses my mind."

"Question," Tails said. "How the hell are we going to prove this? I believe Sonic's telling the truth, and the polygraph test backs that up, but besides Sonic, where's our proof that this is happening?"

"Crap," Amy said, "didn't think about that."

"What about me?" Sonic asked. "Aren't I proof enough?"

"Unfortunately, no. We need something more concrete than you."

"Even if we don't have all the facts," Tails began, "I think it'd be a smart idea to bring R into this."

"'R?'" Sonic asked. "Who's 'R?'"

"Our friend at G.U.N.," Amy said. "And the person who sent me that email for our rendezvous at the docks."

"Okay…. So if you believe what I've told you, and then tell your agent friend, wouldn't _that_ be enough? Can't we just to talk to him about it?"

"Her," Amy corrected. "And… maybe we can. I'll see if I can get into contact with her."

Amy pulled out her phone and made her way to the other end of the room. They both tried to listen in on the conversation, but the room wasn't built for eavesdropping. It looked like Amy was lobbying hard for it, and then hung up. She turned back and walked toward the boys.

"Well?" the guys asked.

"Sonic, you have anywhere to be tomorrow?"

"No. Why?" Sonic asked.

"I've got a meeting with her in Central City at G.U.N. HQ tomorrow at 10. I'd like you to come with me to convince her since you're the only piece of tangible evidence we've got."

"I can do that."

"Good. Just so you're here when it's time to go, I'm going to have you stay the night."

Sonic shot her a mildly stunned look. "You want me _here_?"

"No, I want you at the ice cream parlor getting me a double scoop of Extra Cookie Dough. Of course, I want you here! We've got a spare bedroom upstairs you can stay in."

Sonic smiled loudly. "A bed?! Beats sleeping in a tree again!"

"Wait," Tails said, "you slept in a tree?"

"Last night when I ran away from Amy at the beach, I found myself in Central Park. A hobo already had the bench, so a tree was the only place I could've crashed since my place burned to the ground. A mattress and pillow sounds heavenly!"

"Well, hurry up, Sonic."

Big Blue walked back to the lab's entrance with Amy. Before they left, Amy said, "Tails! If Sonic and I are headed to G.U.N. tomorrow, he'll need an I.D. to get in!"

"I can't make a fake I.D. with his name on it! The police put out a BOLO on Sonic!"

"How about I go in as Shadow?" Sonic offered. The siblings looked at each other in surprise. That wasn't a bad idea.

"I'll have it made by breakfast!" Tails said he turned to his computer and got to work.

"Come on," Amy said.

The two walked out of the lab and back into the living room. Amy lead Sonic up the staircase and opened the second door on the right side. She flipped the switch, revealing a baby blue room with a queen-sized bed with dark blue blankets. There were also dark oak cabinets and furniture. On the right side of the room were a slew of books, some of which were large. Scrapbooks maybe?

"It's not much, but it should do for you," Amy said as Sonic walked in.

He looked around and turned back to Amy. "I'm just glad I have a bed again," he said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Bathroom's the next door on the left."

"Does it have a shower?" Amy nodded. "Thank goodness. I'm going to clean myself off first."

"Good thing I left you plenty of warm water." Amy walked out of the room, but she peered back in. She looked like she had forgotten something. "Good night… and… thanks again for saving me." She said that very shyly and with a slight blush.

Sonic smiled and nodded again. "You're welcome."

Amy nodded and went into her room which was down the hall. Sonic chuckled and headed out his room and into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and smiled as he felt the warm steam envelop him. But his happiness was short-lived as his stomach did a backflip. The shower would have to wait since his chili dogs were coming up to bat.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Considering this chapter's contents are abridged version of CREAM's video (chapter 5) from earlier, you may be asking yourself "Was this chapter necessary?" Yes, it was. While Sonic's story is already known to us, I wrote this part in to give you Tails's and Amy's reactions. Imagine if you heard this kind of news. You might react as such. Still, I feel like I didn't dive deep enough into their reactions.

What this also does is set up the next chapter's events. It's obvious who Sonic will meet tomorrow. It just is if you are any kind of Sonic fan. This is a sort of dead period in the story where information recycles itself. For that, I apologize, but it's the only way to get the other characters on the same page as Sonic. Will it happen next chapter? A little bit, but I won't go over Sonic's story-of-the-fucking-century again in full detail. We will, however, get some character development in the form of Amy and Tails. What that en _tails_ (BADUM-TSS!) I'll leave a mystery.

Chapter 13 will be next week (8/31) and will mark the last update before the end of the month. For those of you gearing up for school, I just want you to know this: I AM GRADUATED, SO I NO LONGER HAVE SCHOOLING! THE REST OF YOU WILL SUFFER AS YOUR BRAINS TURN TO CHEESE AS YOUR PROFESSORS AND TEACHERS BORE YOU TO DEATH IN THE CLASSROOM WITH NO REMORSE! I HOLD NO SHAME FOR THIS, BECAUSE I HAVE SUFFERED. NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO SUFFER IN THE FIERY PITS OF STUDENT LOANS AND MEAL PLANS! BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sorry (not), I just turned into Mark Hamill's Joker for a second there. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	13. Alerting the Authorities

**CHAPTER XIII – ALERTING THE AUTHORITIES**

 **SUNDAY, JUNE 26TH, 2016**

He slept so peacefully on his side. His right arm was stretched out over the edge as he snored softly. She could only chuckle at how messy his quills looked. They were all over the stinking place.

She knocked on the doorframe once. Nothing. Still sleeping. She knocked a little louder. His ear twitched, but he was still out like a light. Groaning, she walked up to the edge of the bed and ripped the covers off him. Nope, still nothing. The only thing she saw was him in the fetal position and him kicking his feet softly.

"Aww, he's dreaming," she said whimsically. Then she got serious. "That's too bad."

She leaned over and mercilessly flicked his nose, instantly waking him as he grabbed it as if by instinct. He looked at her with one eye open and shook his head in disapproval.

"I hate you so much," he spat.

"C'mon, bum. I've got breakfast ready downstairs."

Rolling his eyes, he got out and followed her down onto the main floor. He was greeted by a platter of scrambled eggs and sweet cinnamon toast that awaited him on the nearby table. The sugary air made his senses do a summersault.

"O.J. or milk?" she asked as she opened the fridge.

"Juice, please."

She grabbed a cup and filled it for him.

"Looks good," he said as she gave him the glass. "Thank you. I'm a little surprised you're not at the AMG right now."

"I try to have off on Sundays. Not for any religious reason, but so I can have a relaxed day. Although, Sally and the crew probably wishes I was there right now."

"Because you're the only one that does your job?"

Amy chuckled. "No, they're capable of doing their own work, it's just that when 8 a.m. rolls around, Sally and Ken are going to be breaking the biggest drug bust in city history. _And_ the super-fast hedgehog who broke it up has skyrocketed No. 1 on the MPD's Most Wanted list."

"Tell me more about Sally and this 'Ken' person."

"Sally and Ken are the main news anchors for the AMG Morning and Nightly News shows. Sally's parents own the company. Ken Khan, or as we call him, 'Monkey Khan,' is Sally's cohost and boyfriend. They've been hosting the news for… about five years now. They're good people and better friends."

"I'd like to meet them one day."

"I think they'd kill to meet the guy who embarrassed Eggman and kicked the ever-living crap out of the Iron King. But we'll see. Maybe I'll introduce you."

"It's just that we'll need to tell the city at some point, and if the AMG is city's most-trusted source for news, then there's no one better to break it… besides you. That's also the reason that CREAM said that I should get into contact with the AMG."

"Your robotic friend is smart for thinking so." Sonic frowned and groaned. "What's wrong?"

"She _was_ smart for thinking so." He shook his head and began eating his eggs. Amy could tell that CREAM meant a lot to him with her being his de facto mother. "Where's Tails?" he asked as he put some beaten yolks in his mouth. No better way for a man to bury his feelings than by eating them.

"Didn't your mom tell you to chew with your—?" She stopped herself and looked at Sonic. He was giving her an unamused look. "Right. Dead parents. Sorry," she said with regret. "Anyway," she said trying to introduce a segue, "Tails already had breakfast. He's down in the lab right now." Just as she said that, the secret door opened, and out came Tails with the Fluff and a card.

"Spoke too soon, eh?" Sonic said with a cocky grin. Amy stuck out her tongue at him and turned back to fridge to put the O.J. back in. Sonic then turned to Tails. "G'morning," he greeted as he ate.

"Good morning, Sonic. I was just putting the finishing touches on your I.D."

Tails offered the card to Sonic, who grabbed it and inspected it. The picture looked just like when he put the Fluff on the previous night, except the face it sported was a grim scowl. "Not a happy bloke, is he?"

"Huh?" Tails asked in confusion. Then Sonic pointed to his new profile pic. "Oh! No, he isn't."

"By the way, how're you able to make fake I.D.s?"

"You can thank our G.U.N. friend for that. Amy has an I.D. of her with the Fluff in case she needs it. Let me show you something." Sonic followed Tails to the opening, which was now closed, with a piece of cinnamon toast in his hand. They stopped at the grandfather clock.

"You remember the code to get into the basement?" Sonic nodded. "Put it in." Sonic swallowed the last of his toast and input the code 4-6-8-9. "Now scan your eye." Sonic raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told. When he did it, the secret opening opened again.

"There a point to this, Tails?"

"I'm putting your information into the system so you can access the basement at any time. I trust you enough where I can allow you unlimited access."

"After only knowing me for a few hours? I thought you were smarter than that?"

"If you want, I can call the cops and give 'em your location," Tails said, not taking any of Sonic's crap.

"Calm down. I'm just kidding." Sonic looked to the open doorway and thought of something for his trip to G.U.N. headquarters. "Be back in a sec." Before Tails could respond, Sonic whooshed downstairs and came back as quickly as he left, but he had the Air Shoes in hand.

"Why do you have those?" Tails asked.

"Just want these with me so I can complete my ensemble."

"Don't you think that black and red fur is enough of a disguise?" Amy asked as she took Sonic's clean plate to the sink.

"Just want to make sure I'm not recognized. Oh, Tails? Can I borrow a pair of socks?"

"You don't have a spare set?"

"Uh… don't have my own place anymore," he reminded the fox.

"Gimme a sec." With that, Tails went up the stairs.

"And if you could grab my shoes—!"

"Hold on to your shorts!" Tails yelled from a floor above.

Sonic chuckled and went back to the kitchen where he downed his juice in one hit. Ahhhh… refreshing. Sonic then gave it to Amy who cleaned it and put it away. Tails came back down and tossed some white socks to Sonic. He set his shoes near the base of the staircase.

"Thanks," Sonic said as he slipped on the soft cotton.

"Alright, Sonic," Amy began as she turned around and dried her hands. "It's about a 2-hour drive to Central City from here, and our appointment is at 10, so get ready."

"What do you think I'm doing now?"

Sonic slipped on his shoes and then inserted them into the Air Shoes. With them inflated, Sonic grabbed the Fluff and put it on. Just like the previous night, the microbots crawled all over him and made him shake in disgust as his outer body changed to fit his new alias.

Sonic then cleared his throat. "Hello," he said in a much deeper and gravelly voice, catching Amy and Tails off-guard.

"What was that?" Amy asked.

"Oh, I can throw my voice a bit to make it sound like I'm a different person," he responded in his gravelly tone.

"I think you're disguising yourself a little too much," Tails said.

"Says you." He then offered his hand and scowled, matching the I.D card. "My name is Shadow," he said. "Shadow the Hedgehog ( ** _Shadow the Hedgehog: Jason Griffith_** )."

"Well, follow me, _Shadow_ ," Amy said as she grabbed her keys and made her way to the door. Sonic/Shadow nodded and followed her into her old-school Camaro. Amy saw how Sonic smiled when he laid eyes on it again. This time, he could see it shine in the sun.

"You like it?" she asked with a smug grin. "It's a 1973 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. It used to belong to my dad. Classic cars were his hobby. Now, stop gawking and climb in."

* * *

She felt like a kid in detention. She was confined to her office. Hell, she couldn't even go to the bathroom unless she was escorted by another officer. But as she sat in her chair with crossed arms, she only felt anger. Anger at Sonic for beating the pulp out of her and for ruining her chance at silencing Amy. She wished she could've done it last night, but she also knew it should've been done years ago before Amy turned into what she was today. Chaos knows the echidna had the opportunity.

The sound of clanking metal made its way through the halls. Outside her door, she could see the commissioner's silhouette. This wasn't going to be a very friendly conversation, especially since she was probably going to drone on and on about what the boss-man said in his warning. But to be fair, it was better that Lien-Da had to deal with 'Bolt and not Eggman.

She opened the door, and Thunderbolt greeted the echidna with a face that was one-thirds anger, one-thirds disappointment, and one-thirds giddy-as-a-schoolgirl since she knew how badly Lien-Da got thrown around. Lien-Da stared her down with contempt, ready for any kind of ridicule she was going to get.

Thunderbolt sighed and crossed her arms. "What did the boss tell you?"

"I don't want to hear it," Lien-Da spat.

"Oh, no! You're going to hear this, Lien-Da. You had your orders! You were told not to touch them! And what do you do?!"

"I said I don't want—!"

SMACK!

A heavy metal hand knocked Lien-Da back and into the desk.

"I get a phone call at 6 this morning from Eggman to pick up your sorry butt, and what do I see?! I see you strung up like a goddamn puppet! I should've left you there, you know?"

"But you wouldn't because you're too attached to Egghead."

"If you so much as mock the boss again—."

"Oh, shut up! At least I tried to finish him! Think of when Eggman had that phone call last night! You know just as much as I do that there's more to this than putting out a BOLO on his blue butt!" Thunderbolt stayed silent. "He knows that guy, and he knows what he's capable of. The fact that he ain't talking to anyone about him, much less me and _especially_ you, means that we're in load of trouble. Until he yaps on Sonic, we're sitting ducks." Thunderbolt sighed and shook her head. Lien-Da obviously got through to her.

"I don't know, Lien-Da. I understand where you're coming from, but the doctor must have his reasons."

"Reasons, shmeasons! If we don't—!"

"Lien-Da, enough!" The echidna looked at the commissioner as if she wanted to commit bloody murder. "This is discussion is over! And don't think this little powwow has gotten you out of trouble! The doctor says if you so much as put another toe out of line, you'll end up at the bottom of the Crimea River! You got that?!" Lien-Da just growled. So much for getting through to her. "Now be a good little girl and shut the hell up!"

SLAM!

She threw the door shut, knocking a picture off Lien-Da's wall. In a fit of rage, the echidna slammed her fist into the desk.

"That witch'll be the end of me!"

* * *

Central City was not what he expected it to look like. The city itself was very flat with fields of corn and soy beans all over the outskirts. The burgh seemed to appear out of nowhere with its fantastic skyline. But the most jarring aspect was that to the north of the city were marvelous, purple mountains with snow at the very top. The mount closest to the city seemed to have a weird pyramid-shaped building coming out of the side.

"That building," Sonic said pointing in the distance. "Is that G.U.N. headquarters?"

"Yeah. Guardian Mountain. When the United Federation was surveying locations for its international capital, they chose Central City because of its rich mining history."

"Mining history?"

"Where G.U.N. HQ is now used to be a large gold mine. Central City was once a boomtown, but it's survived for so long because all the nearby mountains had veins of gold in them too. Central City became an economic powerhouse because of it. Since there were a lot of mines leftover, it wasn't hard for G.U.N. to make a foundation, one that's deep below the surface."

"Hmm. Interesting. Amy, can I ask you something?"

"Whatever you want, Shadow."

"My name's Sonic."

"In real life, yes. But we're going to a federal building with an army's worth of security. You need to remember that for the next few minutes, your name is 'Shadow.'"

"Okay, okay, I got it."

"Now, what were you going to ask me?"

"You and Tails… I saw a picture of you guys at his computer in his lab." Amy gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. Sonic, Shadow, Sonadow (whatever the hell his name was) noticed that. He knew he might've touched a nerve. "You two aren't brother and sister, are you?"

Amy sighed and hung her head. "Not by blood."

"What are you then? Boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Amy nearly stopped the car in shock. She looked at Sonic with surprised eyes and said, "Eww! No! It's not like that at all!"

"Then what is it like?"

Amy regained her composure and focused on the road. "We are siblings, but we didn't have the same parents."

"Then how are you related?" Then it hit him. "Wait, he's a foster brother."

Amy nodded. "Our parents were really close; knew each other since middle school. Tails's dad was Amadeus Prower, and his mom was Rosemary. 'Rose' was a stay-at-home mother and a sweetie while Amadeus was a U.F. Army Major General, and a young one at that. At age 31, he was a brigadier general and just had Tails. By the time he made Major General status, Tails was eight years old, and he had plans to retire so he could be with his family. But that's where things took a turn for the worse."

"Why? Did he have PTSD?"

"No. He was more of a strategist than a fighter. But… well, you would think that a highly-decorated soldier would go out with a bang and lay down his life in the middle of a battle. Y'know, die a hero's death."

"That wasn't the case?"

She shook her head. "It was Tails' 9th birthday. They were just coming home from dinner. Tails got a giant teddy bear that took up a seat-and-a-half in the back of their car. He was tired and slept on its belly." She paused. "Then a drunk driver came along."

Sonic's eyes shot up. "Oh, Chaos."

She nodded. "The cameras that got the footage clocked the drunk going 50 miles an hour, double the speed limit. Crashed 'em head-on. Amadeus and Rose died instantly. Tails woke up to a bloody teddy and without his parents."

Sonic sulked in his seat and groaned. "And on his birthday too." He felt legitimately bad for the fox. What a way to lose your folks.

"It wasn't on a battlefield; it was by a goddamn drunk driver." Amy let go of her frustration and took in a deep breath. "When we got the call, we raced out to the police station. I can still see Tails's face." Amy began to cry at the thought of it all. "Tails is great kid, and he didn't deserve that. None of us did. I was out two godparents, but for Tails—."

"His parents." Sonic just groaned in pity. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"That's not the worst part." Sonic looked at Amy in mild shock. "Tails found out that he was going to have a younger sister named Katie at dinner."

Sonic was speechless. He didn't know what to say or do. He didn't think that it would get this grim. All he wanted to know was what Amy and Tails were doing living together. He never could've expected this.

"I'm sorry," Sonic said.

She smiled. "It's okay." Turning back to the road, she continued, "Tails had nowhere to go after that. He had an Uncle Merlin, but he was a paranoid schizophrenic and confined to an Mahkra Asylum, so he couldn't take care of Miles."

"So, your parents adopted him?"

"Yes. My parents knew they couldn't replace his, but they tried to give him the home he deserved. It was hard enough that he was getting picked on because of his tails, but to lose your parents?"

"Life can be cruel."

She sighed. "Too cruel."

Sonic sat back in his seat and cursed himself for asking in the first place. He could have gone without hearing this story.

"Please tell me your parents are still around?" Sonic cursed himself for blurting that out, but when he saw Amy's face, he could see an unnatural abyss in her eyes. He covered his mouth in regret as he could piece together from her dead look alone that Amy's parents weren't alive, and Sonic had a feeling that it was worse than the Prowers.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. That was me thinking out loud. I didn't try to say that." She turned back slowly, not even acknowledging him. His ears drooped down in regret. "If I… If I said some—."

"Sonic," she said as her voice broke, "I'm only going to tell you this once: don't ask me that again." Still feeling like the child who knew he did something wrong, Sonic nodded. "We're here," Amy said as she got on the off-ramp which took them straight to Guardian Mountain. She quickly wiped away her tears and said, "Grab your I.D." Sonic nodded and pulled it out from his quills. She rolled to a stop at the checkpoint where a few G.U.N. agents stood at the gate. "Good morning, boys."

"Good morning, ma'am," the coyote said. His face softened. "Are you okay, miss?"

"I'm fine. Just my allergies."

"Oh, okay. Is there something I can help you two with?"

"I've got a 10 o'clock meeting with—."

"Oh, right! She said that you would be coming around. Just need to see your I.D.s, please."

She nodded and turned to Sonic/Shadow. He gave her his fake I.D., who in turn gave it to the agent. He looked at them very carefully and studied the people inside. The coyote's smile meant they were in the clear.

"Okay, you two are good to go. I'll give her a call and tell her that you're on your way now. Room No. 2001. Here are your passes," he said as he gave two cards held by lanyards.

"Thank you," Amy said as she drove into the nearby parking garage.

The sound of their car doors slamming sent an eerie echo through the area. Within a few minutes, they showed their cards and were granted access to the building. The inside was very white and sterile-looking with contemporary art and sculptures of all kinds around the lobby and the walls. But the problem was that _everything_ was white. Was this a government building or the work of a lazy designer? Where was the freaking color?!

They walked to the elevators on the right side and went up a floor. Sonic followed her out as Amy turned to the right. "Just a warning," she said, "she's got a lot of jewelry in her room, so don't even think about stealing any."

"I may look like the kind of man who would do something bad," he said in a gravelly voice, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to do something bad."

They reached the door, and Amy gave it a few knocks.

"One minute!" the woman from inside said. It sounded like she was on the phone with somebody else. She finished up her conversation as Sonic heard the phone get put down. "Come in!"

Amy opened the door and went in first, followed by Shadow. The first thing he noticed was that there seemed to be one precious jewel after another in the office. Diamonds, pearls, amethysts, garnets, sapphires, topazes, and rubies were all over the stinking place. They shined off the sun's light to make the entire room a kaleidoscope of rich colors. At least this room had some character.

The colors and jewels extended to the lady behind the desk. She wore a gold necklace with a pink diamond cut into the shape of a heart. She had lightning white fur with teal-green eyes and eyeshadow to match. She was also, ahem, naturally well-endowed in the chest area. If a man were to take once good look at her, they'd probably fall in love on the spot. She was one drop-dead gorgeous bat. One question pounded in his brain: how was she a G.U.N. agent?!

The bat took one good look at Amy and got out of her seat. She never broke eye-contact with the pink lass. Sonic became a little tense as he saw this. He balled up his fist and was ready for—.

"About time you stopped in for a visit!" the bat said loudly with arms wide open. Sonic hesitated as he couldn't believe his eyes. The bat wasn't in a bad mood; she just had a great poker face.

Amy returned the hug as the two ladies chuckled. They separated and the bat said, "So I give you the tip of the century, and some speed demon breaks up the deal _and_ gives us the Iron King?! And how the hell did you have front-row seats for all that?!"

"That wasn't the only thing he did," Amy replied. "He also torched a couple billion dollars of Eggman's dirty money."

Rouge's face lit up. "He did that too?!"

"And he saved my life."

"Wait, you didn't tell me that part."

"Yeah. Lien-Da somehow found out I was at the coffee shop and—." Suddenly Amy remembered that she had brought someone with her. When she turned back to him, he had the look of someone who was an obvious third wheel. "Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot you were here!"

"Guess that means I'm not that memorable," Sonic/Shadow replied in a deadpan tone.

"I knew you were bringing company," the bat began, "but I didn't think he was going to be this handsome." Sonic would've normally blushed, but he just rolled his eyes to stay in character. The bat offered her hand. "The name's Rouge ( ** _Rouge the Bat: Karen Strassman_** )."

He returned the handshake. "Shadow the Hedgehog. Pleasure to meet you, Agent Rouge. Or should I call you 'R?'"

Rouge turned to Amy. "He knows our codenames?"

"Not so much codenames as they are initials," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's not _that_ hard to figure out."

"And he's snarky! I like that~."

"Rouge," Amy began, "we didn't come here to flirt. We need to talk."

"That's what I hear. Pull up a seat." There were two chairs in front of her desk, and Amy and Shadow each took one. Rouge went back around to her side and sat down in her fancy, brown leather chair. "Oh, and Sonic? You can just call me 'Rouge.'"

He shot her a confused look. So did Amy.

"His name's Shadow, Rouge," Amy said.

"Oh, please! I know the Fluff when I see it! And I'd recognize those prototype Air Shoes anywhere!"

Rouge turned her eyes back to the stoic-looking Shadow. There were a few seconds of silent staring from him. Rouge was calling his bluff. The way she looked right into his eyes… goddamn it, she was good.

Sonic chuckled and deactivated the Fluff. He shook his head at Rouge and smiled. "Caught me." Amy was a bit stunned to see Sonic give up so easily.

"Amy, cool it," Rouge said. "I know he's wanted by the police, but I'm sure as hell not going to rat on him." Amy nodded understandingly. "With that said," she said as she turned back to Sonic, "just how are you able to move so fast?"

"I'll just say this now," he said sternly, "it's a good thing you're already sitting down."

Rouge shot him a confused look. "Why is that?"

"Because what Sonic knows is… well… it's not hard to explain, but—."

"It's a lot to take in," Sonic said, finishing Amy's thought.

"Yeah, a lot to take in."

Rouge raised an eyebrow as she reclined in her chair. "How so?"

Sonic and Amy looked at each other. They turned back to the bat. "Just listen to what I've got to say," Sonic said.

* * *

Her face summed up what Amy and Tails felt like last night. Shock. Remorse. A genuine sick-to-the-stomach feeling.

She closed her eyes and grunted as she reclined, trying anything to relax. Too bad she couldn't. All this time, and everything somehow it all made sense. They even told her that the polygraph test that Tails had run the previous night indicated that he was 100% honest with his story.

"All this?" she asked half-heartedly. "It's true?"

They nodded slowly. She closed her eyes again and spun her seat around. She got up and grabbed something from the windowsill. When she turned around, she had a tall glass of bourbon with only one ice cube in it. She downed the drink in one large sip and slammed the empty glass on the desk.

"My boss is going to flip when he hears this. I knew that Eggman was a sick bastard… but this…."

Amy reached over and grabbed her hand. She smiled at her friend with understanding written all over her jade green eyes. Rouge's, on the other hand, were on the brink of bloodshot. Whether that was from the drink or the hard news, Sonic didn't know, but it was the painful, honest-to-Chaos truth.

Rouge nodded to her friend and took her hand away. She turned to Sonic and asked, "How are we going to go about this?" She was trying to keep her composure, but Sonic and Amy knew that Rouge's world had been thoroughly rocked. "How are we supposed to stop him?"

"That's just it. We don't know how. But I know I'll figure out a way."

"Sonic, all we've got is one hell of a story. I can't help you if don't give me something. My boss may not believe this, and if you want the organization's help, you got to show us something."

Sonic groaned lowly, but knew she was right, and it almost sounded word-for-word what Amy and Tails said last night about evidence. They needed something tangible, something they could touch. Problem was that they were all under a few of Robotnik's businesses, and he didn't have acce—.

Sonic's eyes shot up in realization.

He smugly smirked at the ladies and said, "Maybe we do have something."

"What might that be?" asked Amy.

"The oil rig!"

The ladies were a bit confused. "What about the oil rig?"

"Green and I lived there for our entire lives. It was my home and a cloning facility. There _has_ to be something there that can help us out!" Rouge and Amy looked at each other. They didn't have any better ideas, so they kept listening to Sonic. "Amy, Tails said that the contact lenses can record footage, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"If I can go there, I can record evidence that Green and I were there! Maybe I can find something and bring back some evidence to convince your boss, Rouge."

"But you said that you and your dead brother blew the place up," Rouge said.

"I know that it's not a great idea, but it's the only one I can think of." The girls still didn't look too convinced. "Ladies, we're out of options. Robotnik starts shipping out the clones on Friday. What do you say?"

They looked at each other once again with raised eyebrows, but they pretty much agreed with what he was saying. Time and options were scarce, and they needed something.

"If you're headed there, I'm headed there too," Amy said.

Sonic looked at her weirdly. "No way!"

"Sonic, listen to me."

"Amy, the place is probably not safe for you to walk around in!"

"And you're more qualified than I am? I scale buildings and spy on criminals for a living! You've seen me be acrobatic! I can handle myself!" Sonic threw himself into the back of the chair, not believing what he was hearing. "Besides, if you find a lot of stuff there, how would you get it back? I doubt you could bring a haul back in one trip!"

"So I'll take multiple trips!"

"And alert Eggman by zipping back and forth between the city and the rig? I'm sure he'd be able to figure out what you're doing!" Sonic groaned and buried his face in his hand. "Sonic, I can pull a few strings to get us a big boat to go there and bring back as much evidence as we can." He still wasn't sold on the idea. "Look, you brought me into this because you knew I could help you bring him down."

Sonic looked away with crossed arms. He slowly turned his eyes back to Amy, who was staring at him intensely. She wasn't going to budge one bit on this. She was stubborn… just like him. He liked that about her.

Sighing heavily, he faced Amy and said, "Can we go tonight?"

"Yes."

"Alright," said Sonic, though he still was not convinced that this was a good idea.

"If you two are done bickering," Rouge began, "I need to leave so I can pack my bags."

Wait, she's going somewhere? Now?! "You're leaving us now?!" he screamed in confusion.

"Calm down, Sonic. If this operation is as big as you say it is, then I need to be in Mobotropolis myself." She turned to Amy. "I suppose he's got the guest bed?"

Amy nodded. "You'll have to take the couch this time."

"Wait," Sonic said. "You're going to be staying at Amy's?"

"Why wouldn't I? I can track Tails's progress of gadget development, I get to be close to the action, and I get a free bed—or in this case, a couch—to sleep on. I don't even need to book a hotel!"

"Cheap-smack," Amy jabbed. "Thanks for listening to us, Rouge."

"Anytime. I'll see you later tonight. I need to brief the Commander before I head out. I'll be at your place later."

"Sounds good. Sonic, should we start planning our getaway?"

"Might as well," he said as he grabbed and activated the Fluff. Man, it still didn't feel nice.

Sonic, now as Shadow, and Amy walked out of the office and began to make their way back to Mobotropolis on Interstate 90 going east.

"So, who do you know that has a boat?"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Another chapter where the main goal was to progress the story, kind of like the last one. That being said, there are a few things to discuss.

Let's start with Rouge. As I said in one of my earlier A/N's, her inclusion in the story was rather obvious if you know anything about the Sonic mythos. I thought it be necessary for Rouge to be in so that Amy and Tails (and now Sonic) have a big-time contact, and someone who works for the government no less. We'll see Rouge later, and in the next chapter, you'll get to know more about her backstory in this AU.

And speaking of backstories... yeesh, poor Tails. I'm probably an asshole for making his past as dark and tragic as it was. The worst part of it is that this kind of thing happens too much, and it's heartbreaking when it happens. If you or someone you know was hurt or killed because of a drunk driver, I do apologize if this chapter's contents offended you or brought back any unpleasant memories. Seriously people, don't drive drunk. It's a big problem in Wisconsin (shocker with all the booze we drink), and I can imagine it's pretty bad in other places as well. PSAs aside, making this story a grim (if not realistic) tale was my intention with new AU. The story and canon that this universe has is a dark place for our protagonists. Tragedy does happen, and it can come in very fucked up ways.

But that's how I made Amy and Tails brother and sister. A lot of other stories have them as having that relationship in other stories, and this just takes it a step further. Amy's backstory... well, there's a whole chapter dedicated to that coming up, but I won't spoil that.

Before I wrap things up, I'd like to thank **MissMJS** and **FireSonic642** (once again) for leaving their two cents from last time. And thanks again to **smkd** for favoriting more chapters on deviantArt.

Anyway, chapter 14 will be up next Thursday as per usual. With this chapter uploaded, we have 10 more to go! As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	14. Wreckage

**CHAPTER XIV – WRECKAGE**

Sonic was making sure that everything was working as it should. Grappling bracelets? Good to go. Contact lenses? Synced to Tails's computer. Fluff for his time out on the town? Check. Prototype Air Shoes? Yup, got two of those.

"You don't need to check and double-check my equipment, Sonic," Tails said as he reclined in his big chair. "I make the best equipment. You have nothing to worry about."

Sonic knew that, but he just wanted to make sure and get some practice with this equipment while he had the time. He was a quick learner, but he wanted this stuff mastered. The way he saw it, this could help him in combat. For exactly what, he didn't know, but Sonic was always good at thinking on his feet.

"Just making sure," Sonic said as he stopped fiddling around with the equipment and walked to Tails. He grabbed the photograph that Tails had turned over the previous night. Tails saw what he was doing and immediately grabbed it and hid it behind his chair. "Tails—."

"Sonic, I don't like when people poke around my personal life," he said with a serious tone.

"Miles," Tails hated whenever people called him that, "Amy told me about your parents." Tails's eyes shot up, but they drooped with his ears and head soon after. Sonic noticed how the fox's face sadly soured in an instant. In a friendly gesture, Sonic placed his hand on Tails's shoulder. The fox looked up to the speedster with heartbroken eyes. "I'm sorry to hear what happened to them, Miles. No one should have to go through that. Especially you." Tails turned away as if he was embarrassed about the ordeal. Sonic knew that he probably didn't want to talk about it since it was a touchy subject. "I just want to offer my condolences, Tails. I lost my parents too."

The fox sighed and sniffled. "But at least you don't remember losing yours."

Sonic kneeled to get to his eye-level. He had an understanding expression on his face. "Part of me wants to." Tails looked at him weirdly. Did he just say…? "At least you got the chance to know your parents and do stuff with them. I never did."

Tails sighed again and nodded solemnly. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry for—."

"No need to apologize, Tails. I just wanted to say that… that… that I know what's like to lose family. I can relate."

Tails smiled. "I suppose you can."

"Alright," Amy said as she entered the lab, "we good to go?" She noticed Tails and Sonic and how close they were in proximity. "Uh, did I miss something?"

"No," said Sonic. "Just a talk. Man-to-man."

"Okay...," she replied, dropping the subject. She then went to the workbench and fished out some earbuds for Sonic and herself. She tossed a pair to Sonic who put them in. "Tails? Can you hear us?" Amy's voice could be heard over the speakers and in Sonic's ear. Yeesh, what a loudmouth!

"Loud and clear," Tails responded.

"What about me?" Sonic asked. His voice did the same thing. "Er, never mind."

"Like I said, Sonic. No need to test."

"Tell that to Amy."

"I heard that," Amy began. "Now when we're in the field, we call each other by our first initial. I'm 'A,' Tails is 'T,' and you're 'S.' Got that?"

"Yes ma'am, sergeant field general ma'am!" he mocked with a faux salute.

"Ugh…," she groaned, moaning at his immaturity. Tails let out a devious chuckle, earning a glare from his sister. "I guess we're good to go. Make sure your disguise is on. Our boat is waiting at the Green Bay Marina. It's 8 o'clock right now. If we hurry, we should be out at the rig before sunset."

"You sure the boat's big enough?"

"We're borrowing Max and Alicia's yacht. If anything, it's _too_ big."

"As in 'Max and Alicia Acorn'? _That_ Max and Alicia?"

"Yep. I asked to borrow it, and they didn't need a reason. They know I'm good for it."

"If you say so," the speedster shot back in an unsure voice.

"Will you two get a move on?" Tails asked, obviously getting annoyed with their conversation.

"Fine, fine," Sonic said as he put on the Fluff. Still felt weird as hell. "Let's go."

* * *

Staring out into the city from his penthouse in Knothole, the fact of _his_ survival made him uneasy. His greatest weapon was now against him. He knew that Sonic was somewhere among the peasants, that he was plotting his revenge. He'd need some damn good luck if he was going to have a shot at beating him, though.

Still, Eggman didn't want to chance it. He told his robots to make sure the security in the cloning chambers was doubled. As he took a drink of sherry, he thought of the many ways of torturing the hedgehog for defying him.

* * *

"You sure the harbormaster is just willing to let you cast off this late?" Sonic asked in his Shadow voice.

"Yes. During the summer, I go on this boat with the Acorns all the time no matter what time it is." She sighed happily. "There's nothing like grilling out on the water and feeling the salty sea air on your face. And the deep-sea fishing is some of the best in the world."

"You and Acorns must be real close."

"They're my bosses, after all."

"No, I mean that there has to be a serious bond between you and them," he said as they boarded the white yacht. Amy stopped as she headed for the bridge. Sonic saw her hesitate. Did he just tug on a nerve of hers?

She looked back and stared in him dead in the eyes. "The Acorns are some of the only good people left in Mobotropolis that give actually give a fuck about everyone. They wanna do everything they can to fix the mess that people like Eggman have made."

"That all?" he asked as he pulled the small walkway/bridge piece off the dock and onto the boat. He then zipped to her right.

"They… They were the ones who offered me a job because of my detective skills."

"And _that's_ why you have a big connection to them? Sorry, but I know there's more to it than that."

As they reached the bridge, Amy glared at Sonic again. "Remember what I said about my parents?"

"To not ask about them? What's that got—?" Then it hit him. "Oh, right. Don't talk about it. Sorry." Wait, he was talking about the Acorns, not her parents. Why the subject change? Why did—? Then it occurred to Sonic to just drop it. She seemed plenty emotional about her folks, but seriously, what did they have to do with Max and Alicia? Whatever the case was, he was sure she'd fill him in when she was ready.

"Right," she said as she fired up the engines. "Okay, we'll be traveling at about 20 knots, so that means we should be at the rig in a half-hour."

"Good. Err… how fast is 20 knots?"

"A little faster than 23 miles per hour, S," said Tails via the earpiece.

Amy began to pull out of the marina and into the Green Bay. There was a small fence of buoys about a quarter-mile off the coast, which they passed through. It took Sonic a moment to get used to the rocky waves from the speed of the boat and the mild wind.

"Just a heads-up, you guys," Tails said, "I checked the weather around the rig from earlier today, and there was some rain that hit it. The humid weather we've been getting recently really did a number on it. Watch for slick surfaces."

"We read you," Amy responded.

Sonic walked out of the bridge and onto the front of the boat as he took off the Fluff and Air Shoes. The midsummer sky was painted in all kinds of psychedelic colors, looking like a reversed rainbow as the first few stars and planets began to poke out, adding what looked like natural glitter to the evening sky. It was a glorious sight, and Sonic spread his arms out and closed his eyes. With the salty wind in his face, he smiled, breathing in the fresh air. He never got this being cooped up in a rig for his whole life.

"Hey, Jack Dawson," Amy said on the boat's intercom, "How's the view?" Amy was admiring how blissful and peaceful the handsome speedster looked. This was a first for him, no doubt. The feeling of the sea air on your face, the night sky, the peaceful waters all around, she was jealous at his euphoria because of his innocence towards it.

"Breathtaking!" he yelled back. "But who the hell is Jack Dawson?"

Amy's face went into shock. "You don't know who Jack Dawson is?!"

"Should I?"

"He was played by Leonardo DiCaprio? From _Titanic_?"

"That some boat?"

"No! I mean, yes! Haven't you seen the movie?!"

"I was held up in an abandoned oil rig for 25 years. The closest thing to movies I saw were CREAM's lessons!"

Amy cursed herself. She should've known that. Assuming they could stop the doctor, the first thing that she would make him do was watch that movie and have her cry into his shoulder. And maybe he would try his best to calm her down and—. Wait, what was she thinking? Was she daydreaming about him?

"Amy?" he asked, now suddenly next to her.

"Ah!" she screamed as she let go of the wheel and fell ungracefully to the hardwood floor.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he offered his hand.

She blushed as she took his hand and was helped up. "Don't do that!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, and I told you we call each other by our initials when we're out," she said in a flustered voice.

"Right. Sorry, _A_."

"Don't sweat it, _S_ ," she said with a sigh as she regripped the wheel. "I just got caught daydreaming."

"About what?"

She turned back to him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "A, can I ask you something?"

"Depends on what you're asking."

"How did you and Rouge meet? Or is that another matter that you don't want to talk about?"

"No, that's fine. We can talk about R. What you want to know?"

Sonic shot her a disappointed look. "For the second time, how did you and Rouge meet?"

"What do you mean 'for the second time?'"

"A," Tails began, "he did ask you twice. You brushed off the first one."

"See?" Sonic said with an I-told-you-so face.

"Fine, fine, you win. Rouge and I have known each other since our days at Mobotropolis West High School. She was two grades ahead of me and a state champion gymnast. We weren't great friends in high school. We knew who each other were, but we weren't close. We even went to Knothole University together where she put her gymnastic skills on full display, becoming a national champion in the process. Her flexible nature caught the eye of G.U.N. who were impressed by what she could do. They offered her a job and training while she was still taking classes."

"But how'd you two get so close?"

"That came during my senior year in high school. T with his big brain graduated years before I did and was attending the Central City Institute of Technology, or CCIT for short. T is great with small gadgets that you can easily hide, whether it be in a purse or in plain sight like the contacts and bracelets. Anyway, T's final project before graduation was to create a device that could help G.U.N. agents in the field. Rouge, as it turned out, was one of the judges. She was so impressed with his nanotech skills that he won with the contact lenses alone. Ever since then, he's be contracted to make gadgets that G.U.N. agents can use on missions. His win wasn't without controversy as a geneticist that he was going up against called foul when she found out that Rouge and T were in contact with each other. She claimed that it was stacked against her."

"All because Rouge knew T beforehand?"

"Because the geneticist thought that there was favoritism and bias involved. It's easy to say that I believe that wasn't the case since he's family, but I could understand what the other chick was arguing. Anyway… since Rouge and T were going to be working together on the side, Rouge and I became friends because of how much she was over. Nowadays, she's the youngest and best black ops agent that G.U.N. has ever had. She works a lot with a hot-headed echidna in the field. Everything from target extractions to toppling governments, she's done it all. On the side, she helps out as a legal consultant for the AMG."

"The Acorns know her?"

"They've known her for longer than I have."

"How so?"

"Well… do you remember how Rouge's office was filled to the brim with jewels?"

"Kind of hard to forget."

"You see, Rouge's family is very wealthy. Their money is old money. She's a descendent of a long line of jewelers."

"That makes _too_ much sense," he said with a laugh.

"It gets better than that. Her ancestors owned miles of mines back in the day. Underneath Knothole, you can still find mining tunnels from the 1800s, but these days, a lot of the city's homeless live down there. Her folks were mainly affiliated with diamonds—obviously—and emeralds since the city and the Echidna Tribe National Forest was chock full of them when the city was founded. Hell, if you walk around the ETNF, odds are you can find small emerald pieces on the trails if your eyes are peeled."

"That's how she got interested in jewels? The family business?"

"Yes. Rouge _loves_ them to death. Diamond and emeralds are her favorites, but she has a soft spot for amber. When G.U.N. bankrolled T's lab/basement, they had to redo the foundations of the building and found a ton of amber in the process, which is—."

"Fossilized tree resin. I know."

"Oh. Anyway, Rouge loved the yellowish-orange amber we found and took a lot of it to turn a profit—split with us, of course. What was left was put onto the bracelets, that way it could sell the fact that it was a normal bracelet with a fancy rock on it."

"So how do the Acorns know Rouge's family?"

"Rouge's folks took out ads in the AMG's paper: the JBH Memorial Gazette. Because of their money, and Bats and Acorns found themselves in similar social circles and high-class parties."

"What happened to her parents?"

"They still live in Knothole near the forest. They sold their business to Rouge's cousin Linda who franchised the business and has several Batty Jewelries, the name of the business, in cities like Station Square, Mobotropolis, Apotos, Soleanna, Central City, and other U.F. cities. Boy, Robotnik wasn't happy that he lost out on that sale."

"Wait, Eggman tried to buy it?"

"Batty Jewelries? Yeah. But considering Robotnik's businesses were notorious for having Eggman's goons operate them, the Bats didn't want bad publicity and turned down several offers from the fat man. Good thing too." The rig was now within throwing distance. "I'm going to find us a place to park this thing."

"There should be platforms underneath the rig's pillar-support things where you can tie it off."

"Is it safe to walk on?"

"Should be."

It took a few minutes because of some choppy waves, but Amy parked the boat safely as Sonic tied the yacht to the platforms. When they were set, Amy hopped off, with a backpack in tow, to join her partner. The same ladder that Sonic used to escape two nights before was still there. Sonic took a view at the still-open trapdoor for a few seconds, remembering the chaotic and emotional night.

"Hey," Amy said as she tapped his shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

He turned to her. "Yeah. It's just that I never thought I'd be back here."

"We have to do a lot of things that we think we'll never do. You first."

"Why me?"

"Because I don't want you looking up my skirt. Move it."

He scoffed as he grabbed the ladder and started climbing. "What kind of guy do you think I am?" he asked having taken offense to her quip.

She didn't answer as she followed close behind. Years of running and fighting made his butt look very trim and—.

"A, stop staring at Sonic's ass! I sure as hell don't need to see it!" T said loudly.

Sonic stopped and looked down at a blushing Amy. He wryly smiled and shook his head. "Oh ho! So, I can't look at yours, but you can—!"

"Shut it and keep climbing!"

"Hold on, missy! I think we've got ourselves a double standard here!" His shit-eating grin made her wanna bash his skull in.

"I have a tazer in my backpack, and you're in a compromising position. Move!"

Sonic had to drop the subject or she'd drop 1,000 volts on him, so he moved up the ladder quickly, but he made sure to keep an eye on Amy. Her eyes were not fixed on his rear anymore, but he could still see how red her face was.

" _Don't know if I should be flattered or creeped out_ ," Sonic thought.

He climbed into the room and reached out a hand to Amy. She grabbed it and was pulled in by the strong hedgehog. They got up and took a quick look at the hall. The walls were all black, probably from the smoke. It was looking worse for wear.

Amy whistled lowly and said, "Talk about a fixer-upper."

"There's a door down here," he said as he led her through his old home. A few flashbacks to simpler times crossed his head. He could picture himself and Green being led to training each day by CREAM and the joy of seeing the doctor whenever he came to visit. But those days were long gone.

As they approached the door, they sensed that something was off. Like _really_ off. It was like… for crying out loud! What on Chaos's green Mobius was that smell?! The odor was horrendous, making the two of them violently gag.

"Ohhhhh," Sonic moaned. "Whew! You smell that?"

"Yeah. I think I might puke!"

When he opened the doors, the smell intensified tenfold, hitting them like a brick wall. They covered their noses and made their way down the dark hallway.

"T, can we get some light?" Amy asked.

"Turning on the night vision now."

Their contact lenses got the command and let the two the fowl-smelling hallway in green and black splotches. Seriously, what was that smell?!

"Chaos! Smells like something died in here!"

Suddenly, Sonic thought of something.

"T, can you put up detection vision?" he asked.

"Yeah," the fox replied.

Sonic's contacts then allowed him to see in a dark bluish hue. Weirdly, he could see better with the D.V. on. But something caught his attention. Ahead of him was what looked like a heaping pile of cyan floating on something. He cautiously walked closer to it. Can you remember what turns cyan in detection vision?

"Got something, S?" Amy asked.

"Maybe."

The thoughts of two nights prior rushed over him again. This was where it happened. This was where he lost Green. That ugly, cheesy, smiling Robotnik logo was still on the wall. This was where he cried like a baby when Green died. The elevator was still open and in front of him. That's where the pile of cyan was coming from, and the same went for the ungodly odor. In fact, it got worse the closer he got.

"Please let me be wrong about this," Sonic said to himself.

"Wrong about what?"

Sonic got to the elevator and looked down. There it was, the pile of floating cyan stuff.

"T, lose the D.V."

"On it."

His vision went back to normal. "Get me some light." The gamma was boosted, and Amy looked down into the elevator shaft. She gasped in horror.

The pile of cyan was a pile of bones and putrid muscle mass. This dogpile of death was the charred and rotting remains of Sonic's and Green's clones. There must've been a flood in the elevator shaft that flooded the room and brought the dead bodies up to sea level. It wasn't a pretty sight. It was to the point where the fur was completely burnt off. What scared Sonic the most was that Green was probably down there with them.

"Oh my…!" She ran away and violently threw up. The stench and awful sight finally got to her as she hurled up her lunch and dinner with bile lingering in her mouth as a horrible aftertaste and reminder of what she saw. Sonic was about to do the same, but he barely forced it back down. "The hell was that?!" she yelled. She came back to stand beside Sonic. She looked down again to make sure she wasn't dreaming, and she let out another round of vomit, painting the far wall and a few of the clones.

When she nothing left to throw up, Sonic took a knee beside her and helped her up. She was trying her best to spit out the taste of death. She dug through her purse and grabbed a few napkins, trying to clean herself off as best as she could. Thankfully, little-to-no vomit got on her or her clothes.

"Those are Green and I's clones."

When was finally able to stand up straight, she noticed his eyes. The way his emerald green beauties looked so dead at the horrible sight below them, it was like he was staring into the abyss.

"Are you okay?" she said, still woozy from the nasty act.

"It's just that… Green fell down this shaft when we were escaping." A tear fell down his face as his fists tightened. "And I wasn't fast enough to save him."

She put her arm on his shoulder to comfort him. "I'm sorry, S."

"I miss him, A," he said through the tears.

"I know, but we all lose those closest to us eventually."

"But why did it happen in just one day for me? Huh? Why?!" He sighed and looked back down at the corpses.

"Come on, S. Let's check out the rest of the place."

Sonic was about to leave, but he saw that one of the bodies had its skull broken open. And there was something shiny and square-shaped embedded into what was left of its brain.

"Hold on. T? The brain, you see that?"

"The chip? Yeah. Is that what Eggman was going to activate to take control of the clones?"

"Yes, and I think we've got some hard evidence for Rouge."

Amy stomached whatever was still inside of her and followed his line of sight. "Sure, it's evidence," she said, "but how are you going to show that to her?"

Sonic thought hard and had an idea. "A, do you have something I can carry the chip in?"

"I have a couple of plastic bags in case of getting small samples of evidence whenever I'm out. Wait, what are you thinking?"

Sonic raised his arm and shot his bracelet grapple against the far side of the shaft. He zipped to the wall and hung on. He then motioned his wrist so he could climb down slowly, walking backwards on the side of the shaft like he was scaling down a mountain. When he was close enough, he used his free hand to carefully grab the brain chip. Amy, seeing what he was doing, was about to throw up again as the rotten brain matter squished around as Sonic tried to wiggle the chip out. There were other pieces of bioorganic circuitry built into the clone's brain, but they didn't have the supplies necessary to take one of those back (much less preserve the brain).

Wiggle… squish… squish… wiggle… squish… wiggle….

"Got it!" Sonic said as he pulled it out and showed it to Amy. She was about to toss her cookies once more, but through her sickly, pale face, she smiled and nodded approvingly. Sonic then climbed back up the wall and launched himself onto the floor beside Amy where he retracted the grapple. "Get a bag."

Amy bent over and grabbed a small bottle of antacid, taking two of those before giving Sonic his bag. He put it in, and Amy put the bag in a separate pocket.

"If we're done here…," Amy said weakly.

"Don't worry. When you get out of the stench, you'll feel better," Tails said. "And S? Good job."

"I appreciate it." Sonic offered his hand to Amy. "Let's-a go."

He helped her up, and they opened a side door that was perpendicular to the elevator, better known as the fire escape. They had to get past some debris first, but they opened the door to the second floor, which was blacker and had more debris on the floor than the previous one. The lack of rooting flesh was a smell for sore noses, and Amy took a deep breath or somewhat cleaner air.

"So… what's this place?" she asked.

"The second floor was used for living quarters," Sonic explained as they walked the hall. "This floor also had showers and a small kitchen where CREAM made Green and me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Down the hall is CREAM's room." Then there came a closed room on the left side. "And this," he said as he tried to open the door. He grunted and pulled hard, and it went WHAM! He opened it and took in a deep breath. Surprisingly, this room was oddly free of smoke or any kind of damage. "And this is— _was_ mine and Green's room."

They walked in and Amy looked around at everything. Sonic stood at the doorway. "Doesn't look like this room was damaged."

"No, no it doesn't."

"So, that TV was how you got your lessons?"

"Via a USB drive that CREAM would make the night before," he affirmed.

"I'll be honest," Tails said, "I was expecting a little more than this."

"We've still got another floor and the roof to look at," Sonic reminded him.

"True. Continue."

The two left and went back into the stairwell to move up a floor. This level by far had the most damage as ceiling tiles and torched debris were everywhere, and the oil rig's crane had fallen and crashed through the hallway, cutting off a room that was at the end of the hall.

"What's that room?" she asked, pointing to the end of the hall.

"I think it's a robot storage room."

"'Robot storage?'"

"From what CREAM told me, the robots we'd break in practice would go in there to get fixed up."

"Ah. I'm not seeing many rooms on this level."

"That's because these two rooms are the only ones on the floor." The duo came to a different set of doors that Sonic opened. "But this is one was the most important."

Amy and Sonic walked into a room that had a wet floor from a gaping hole in the roof. The crane they saw in the hallway had also crashed into the very large room, revealing a magnificent view of the starry sky.

"This was the training room. It was state-of-the-art since it could allow Green and me to train and fight robots."

"That all?"

"Green and I sparred with a lot of robots in a lot of situations. Straight up fighting, robots with weapons; every kind of combat you can think of, we fought in here."

"So," Tails began, "it's like the Danger Room from the X-Men series?"

"What's an 'X-Men?'"

"T," Amy said, "S wasn't a part of society and pop culture like the rest of us. And he's no comic book nerd either."

"Riiiiiiight."

"Anyway," Sonic said, pointing at a higher room that was high on the far wall. "That was where CREAM would observe our techniques when training. Eggman would come in every once in a while and check on our progress. But all you need to know is that everything in this room was controlled from up there."

"Doesn't look like there's anything in here," she said looking around.

"No surprise there. It's cleaned after every training session. But anyways, let's head to the roof."

The two aimed their arms and shot out a grapple that carried them quickly to the surface. Getting back to their feet, they split up to search the area.

"You know, I guess we could've grappled up here from the boat now that I think about it," Sonic said.

"That would've been a good idea," she said rubbing her midsection, "and my stomach certainly agrees." Sonic didn't need a psychologist to figure out Amy wasn't happy about the decaying clones. Her stomach was still in knots about it. "Not much up here, eh?"

"Except maybe for this," Sonic said, pointing to a small room. Amy followed him to it, but just from the outside, it looked like the place had been blown to smithereens.

"Yeesh, what happened?" asked Tails.

"Don't know," Sonic said as he entered. Despite the chaotic mess, Sonic could see destroyed robots in several locations. It looked like they were at computers. There was, however, a gaping hole in the back of the room. It took some careful maneuvering around the shrapnel and sharp debris, but Sonic was able to get there and look down. What he saw were broken pipes and glass, looking kind of like a pipe bomb went off.

"What do you see, S?" Amy asked from a distance.

"I think I found the pump room."

"Pump room?"

"Yeah. CREAM told me that the flammable fluid the clones swam in was pumped from a station on the rig's topside. This must've been it. When I lit up the liquid—."

"Kaboom."

"Exactly."

"Wait, the clones swam in a flammable liquid?" T asked.

"Yeah. Eggman made the formula as a failsafe so that if anyone stumbled onto the clones, all he would need to do is throw a switch, and the whole thing catches on fire."

"And thereby destroying the evidence and creating the cover-up of an accidental fire. Start plan. So, the pump room was blown up, and I assume that this was the control center," T said. "The robots in here didn't stand a chance when all that liquid went off."

"How many gallons of the stuff were there to make this whole place go up in smoke?" Amy asked.

"Millions, easily," Sonic answered. "Probably billions."

"And how did it get to the underwater cloning place?"

"Pipes that followed the elevator shaft," Sonic answered again.

"If that's the case, then it's a miracle the shaft didn't fill up with water sooner and drown you."

"Yeah, I guess I got lucky."

"Well," Tails began, "all this proves that Robotnik had robots manning the supposedly abandoned derrick. This should be enough for Rouge to use."

"I was kind of wishing that the computers were still up and running. Maybe we could've hacked our way into Eggman's systems."

"He probably would've cut the power off anyway if it had not been for the fact that you blew it up."

"Good point."

"I wanna check out that blocked-off room from before, S," Amy said.

"We can do that quickly."

Sonic made his way out and joined Amy at the hole the crane made. It turned out that not only did the fallen crane separate the robot storage room from the hall, but it also ripped the left door to shreds, opening the room to the natural elements. The twin double-door to its right, however, was somehow sparred from getting crunched like a soda can.

Upon trying to get up onto the crane to walk down it, Amy slipped off.

"Whoa!"

ZIP!

Amy tightened her body to brace for the impact, but the one she was feeling was very light. She opened her eyes to find that Sonic had caught her before she could've landed on her head.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said, trying to hide her blush. He then let her go. "That metal's a lot slicker than I would've thought it was."

"I told you that it recently rained like hell out here, right?" Tails asked in an I-told-you-so voice.

"Quiet, T. How're we going to get down?"

Sonic pondered that. He then snapped his fingers when he had an idea.

"Okay, be careful when you climb back up here." Sonic then climbed and steadied himself on top of the crane, spreading his arms in opposite directions. One was behind him pointing at the crane's base, and the other one was pointed downward toward the room Amy wanted to see. With a flick of the wrists, he activated his grapples, and they held him down to the crane. "You can climb down slowly if you're anchored to this big thing."

"Huh," she said in a surprised tone. "Not a bad idea."

"I'll go first."

"Wait, why you?"

"Because I'm already up here."

She rolled her eyes. He proceeded to move his wrists slightly, allowing the lines to cycle in his bracelets. He slowly and carefully put one step in front of the other. Within a few minutes, he was back on the third floor. He flicked his wrist again to allow his grapples to retract quickly. He jumped off and turned back to the surface.

"Your turn!" he yelled.

"Okay!" she said as she carefully balanced herself.

"You okay up there?"

"Don't be a Worrying Wendy!" she yelled back as she shot out her grapples.

"A 'Worrying Wendy?'" he asked lowly.

"It was a saying _my_ dad used a lot when he told me or Amy to not… well… worry," Tails explained.

Amy then got off the crane and rejoined Sonic. "About time you got here," he teased. She raised her middle finger to him. "That supposed to mean something?"

"A middle finger is like telling someone, 'fuck you,'" Tails explained again.

"Oh. Well then! That's not very lady-like," Sonic teased.

"Don't make me bite my thumb at thee," she said, entering the room.

"And that was from Shakespeare," Tails said.

"I got that one. CREAM made me read _Romeo and Juliet_ years ago. Didn't like it," Sonic replied in an annoyed tone as he entered the room. "I hate Shakespeare."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

*Groans* I hated Shakespeare. I still kind of do because I had to read _Romeo and Juliet_ in HS, and _Hamlet_ in college. I'm sorry, but even though they speak the English language, it somehow is not the English language. I'm not dyslexic, but reading ye olde theatre made me feel like I was. If you are dyslexic and didn't appreciate the joke, I do apologize. IT'S JUST THAT I HATE READING SHAKESPEARE AS MUCH AS I HATE FREAKING POLITICS! EITHER WAY, MY HEAD HURTS THINKING ABOUT IT! The only positive that came out of reading Shakespeare was that I lived in a time where SparkNotes was a thing. Thank Christ for that website... especially with Hamlet.

I think out of all the chapters I've re-edited so far, this one took the most out of me. It wasn't because I was trying to add more detail, it's that while I was re-editing last night, my Word app decided to have a fucking seizure that made me reset my whole goddamn computer (and rip me away from the Sonic Mania OST that I was listening to at the same time). Because of said reset, I had to re-edit a large section of the chapter ALL OVER AGAIN. How large was the section? A WHOLE PAGE, AND THIS CHAPTER HAS A PAGE COUNT OF 15. The icing on the cake was that this happened at 1:45 in the freaking morning (insomnia much?) I was so tempted to stop what I was doing and give up, but when it comes to this kind of thing, I am as stubborn as a mule and will not let it go. As a result, I didn't get done until 0300 hours (3 a.m. for those of you who don't speak military time). My stubbornness is a blessing and a curse. Alright, I'm done bitching and moaning (at least until next week's chapter XD).

Try to imagine what Sonic and Amy had to deal with here, and try to put yourself in those shoes. I guarantee you that you'd be puking as much as Amy did. This was a disgusting chapter, but I can gladly say that you won't have to deal with this kind of gross-out storytelling for a while. So at least we've got that going for us. And hey! We got a character's backstory that wasn't grim and dark for once! It's like Christmas day! Hell, we might as well have a parade to celebrate the occasion! Oh, you can't come because you started school this week and already have loads of homework? *frowns* Well, shit.

Before I leave you, I'd like to take this time to say "thanks you" to all of you who've been reviewing my work and favoriting the story (or chapters) as such. Special shout-outs to **MissMJS, Captain, IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE** (Yes, that's someone's actual username, and the name is as much long as it is awesome) **, SpeedsMyGame, & FireSonic642 **for dropping your reviews and two-cents-worth on the story.

While I'm happy that I'm getting more and more reviews for this story, I think there's a reason that I got more attention this time around than usual. Recently, **MissMJS** gave my story a plug at the tail end of her most recent chapter of her SonAmy fan-fic "Only You Can." Just to set the record straight, I did not bribe her or pay her to do the plug. Hell, we didn't even make a bet where the loser would spread the word about the other's current stories. She did it out of the goodness of her heart, and I cannot thank you enough for your constant feedback on the story every week when I update it and you telling your other readers that my material is worth a damn and worth reading. I know you'll be reading this soon if you already aren't. Thank you. I mean that.

With that said, I feel obligated to pay it forward and do the same. I've already given MissMJS a plug since I believe her stories are great and worth a read, and I can say that her story, "Only You Can," fits that bill to a T, especially if you're a SonAmy fan like me. The story goes for a supernatural take on the SonAmy dynamic. When I say "supernatural," it doesn't involve anything with vampires or werewolves (werehogs?) like I expected it to, and that made it stick out to me (I don't like vampire stories because the _Twilight_ book and movie series has jaded me to the vampire-romance dynamic, and I've read A LOT/TOO MANY of WereSonamy fan-fics). In short, please take a look at her stories. You'll love 'em if you're a SonAmy fan.

Alright, I'll stop talking and let you get back to your miserable lives of college and schooling (that's a joke; don't get bent-out-of-shape over it). Chapter 15 will be around on 9/14. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	15. An Evident Reunion

**CHAPTER XV – AN EVIDENT REUNION**

The large hole in the wall showed him a gorgeous view of the Mobotropolis coast. The stars seemed to disappear and were replaced with a yellowish light that rose into the sky, bouncing off the skyscrapers. But the view was the only good thing about the room. The rest of it was rusted heavily. Broken pieces of metal lined the floor and walls. Wrecked robots were spread out like a toddler's toys. It was hard to get around in this place with how much junk there was.

"Find anything?" Sonic asked as he walked slowly and carefully through the room.

She gave him a mildly exasperated look. "How would anyone be able to find anything in this mess?"

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to be here."

"Yeah… kind of regretting that decision. Let's get out of here. Doesn't look like there's anything useful."

"Fine by me," he said, turning around. But when he took his first step, something got his leg and tripped him up. "WHOA!"

THUD!

He took his face off the metal floor and groaned. He inadvertently tasted a healthy amount of rusty water. He should've been more careful with all the clutter. With that said, at least he got the regularly prescribed amount of iron in his diet.

"You okay?" Amy asked, making her way to him.

"Yeah," he said turning over. "Just tripped on a rob—."

It was at that moment that Sonic realized what, or rather _who_ , he tripped on. She looked like she was bathing in the rain water for days. It had a nasty effect on her exterior. But there was no denying those big ears and cream-painted face. When he looked at her, it was like he had seen an old friend.

Amy noticed how Sonic's face went from annoyed to awestruck in no time flat. He carefully touched the bot's face as tears began to fall from his eyes. He picked her up to get a better look at her. She scurried around the robot to look at its face. She immediately noticed two things. Firstly, this didn't look like any Robotnik Robotics Company product that she knew of. The few robots of the RRC that she did know were guards at Robotnik Enterprises businesses. Secondly, this looked like a female rabbit in robot form, right down to the eyelashes on her. Typical RRC robots didn't look like Mobians at all. Was this…?

"Sonic," Amy said, "this isn't… is this CREAM?"

He nodded slowly, still sporting the look of disbelief. She could see the hope in his emerald green eyes. "I thought… I thought she was gone," he said softly as he hugged her.

"S," she said, "Look at her face."

He backed away and looked. He saw a fearful and scared look that was petrified on her face. It looked like something horrible was happening to her, like she was getting tortured.

"What did he do to you, CREAM?" he asked through the tears. Then something occurred to him that made him smile like a kid with candy. "Wait, she gave me and Green the info on Eggman. She said in the video that could only relay the biggest points of his plans."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean she knows everything about the Project?"

"That and more," he answered with a nod. He opened the small door on her stomach and touched a certain switch. "I wonder…."

CLICK!

They could hear a whirring sound come from the droid as Sonic laid her down. Something was a bit off with her boot-up sound, however. It sounded disjointed. They could see the light come back to her eyes, but they flickered madly.

"Come on, CREAM," Sonic said, trying to will her back to life.

"Eeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr-ooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Her loud scream spooked the hedgehogs. "No! Please, for the love of Chaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo—."

Something was wrong. Not only was she in a state of fear, but her vocal processor was stuck on the same syllable. The shrillness of the cry forced Tails, Amy, and Sonic to cover their ears.

"CREAM!" Sonic shouted.

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo—!"

"CREAM!"

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo—!"

"For the love of—!"

"Somebody shut her up!" Tails said.

"CREAM!" Sonic begged, shaking her. He sighed. He had no other option. "Sorry CREAM!"

SMACK!

The strike sent her back down to the floor, but she was able to get her on all fours.

"Ooooos! Don't you touch me! Don't—!"

"CREAM! It's me! Stop screaming!" he barked.

The robotic hare stopped and sighed heavily. "Wh-Who's there?"

"Turn around."

She gasped. She knew that voice, but could it be?

As she turned around slowly, her eyes did not deceive her as there stood Sonic with tear-filled eyes. Robot or not, you could tell that she was in shock to see him here. Shock… but then pure joy.

"Bl-Blue?" He nodded with a hearty smile. "Oh, Blue!" She got to two feet and hugged the hedgehog fiercely. "You're alive! You're okay!"

"Yeah, CREAM, I'm just fine," Sonic said as the tears continued to roll.

"You're okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!"

Oh, dear. It happened again. Something was wrong with her vocal processor if she was doing this again. He groaned and smacked her head.

"Aaaay! You're alive!" Poor CREAM. She didn't even know that her voice problems were even happening.

"Yes, yes, I'm still kicking." With that, they let each other go. As happy as CREAM was, she finally tuned in to what her surroundings were.

"Wh-What happened?"

"I could ask you the same thing, CREAM."

CREAM continued to look around and saw the pink lady. "Who are you?!" She turned back to Sonic. To her, there was a missing twin. "Where's Green?"

Sonic put his hands on her shoulders and looked her directly in the eye. "CREAM, I need you to calm down, okay?"

"What's happened, Blue? What happened?"

"CREAM, easy. Take it easy. This woman isn't going to hurt you. She's a friend of mine."

"Hi," Amy greeted.

CREAM just looked at her with a confused look. Then she turned back to Sonic. "And where's Green?" Sonic's ears drooped and he looked away in shame. CREAM gasped. "No!"

He looked back to see her horrified expression. "CREAM, there's a lot you need to catch up on. Just try to calm down, okay?"

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaa—." He rolled his eyes. Here we go again.

SMACK!

"Aaay. I'm going to try and calm… dow-dow…." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence and broke down in his arms. Sonic wished she wasn't bawling (well, as much as a robot could). He knew that the news wasn't pretty, but she needed to know the truth, not matter how harsh it was.

"He helped me destroy them, CREAM."

She looked at him with surprise. "He did?"

"Yeah, but the elevators weren't working because the place was coming down our heads. We got out and climbed up the shaft, but the other elevator snapped it cords, and the wires slashed him on the chest."

"Oh… Oh, Chaos!" she said with her voice breaking.

"He fell down the shaft before I had a chance to react." He hung his head. "I wasn't fast enough, CREAM. I'm sorry."

Now it was his turn to cry into her arms. This wasn't the first time that Sonic had been so upset. When he was 6 years old, he broke his leg in training. He cried bitterly that day when he couldn't run, much less stand, for weeks. Running was the best thing he could do, and one errant robot robbed him of his trademark ability. But this… this was even more bitter.

"There, there," CREAM said as she rubbed his back slowly. "Blue, it's okay."

"No… No, it's not," he sobbed.

"It is. It is because you're still here. It is because you're alive." Sonic slowly faced her with eyes puffy and red. "Come on, give me a smile, Blue." He looked away at first, but he finally came around a moment later. "That's my boy."

Sonic sniffed. "Thank you."

"It's what I doooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo—." Not again!

SMACK!

"Oooooo."

"We need to look at her vocal processor," T said. "I think it's obvious that with her being exposed to the elements, various parts of her are in need of repair."

"You think, T?" Sonic replied.

"T?" CREAM asked. "Who are you talking to, Blue?"

He pulled out the earbud and showed it to her. "I've got an earpiece that allows me to hear my buddy on the other end. His name is T."

"There's someone you're talking to?"

He nodded. "He says that you've rusted so much that you're a little out of order."

CREAM looked at him weirdly. "What do you mean?"

"A few times you've been stuck on a syllable. I have to hit you to make you stop."

"I'm not sure IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII—." You know what comes next.

SMACK!

"IIIII know what you're talking about."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Take my word for it, CREAM."

"You know," Amy said, "I kind of feel like a third or fourth wheel with y'all."

Sonic and CREAM turned to her. "Oh, right," Sonic began, "CREAM, this A."

"A?" CREAM asked.

"It's short for Amy," the pink hedgehog responded as she extended her arm to robo-bunny. "Amy Rose."

CREAM shook her hand and was helped up by her. "CREAM the Rabbit."

"I kind of figured that out."

"CREAM," Sonic said. "You asked me to find the Rascal at the Acorn Media Group."

The rabbit turned back to her pseudo-son. "Yes?"

"This is her."

CREAM turned back to Amy with a surprised expression. "You're the Rascal?"

"The Mobotropolis PD hasn't been able to prove that I'm the Rascal, but Sonic was able to figure out who I was very quickly."

"Who's Sonic?"

"I am," he said. CREAM turned back to him with a confused expression.

"No, you're Blue the Hedgehog."

"CREAM, Blue died on this oil rig with Green. I call myself Sonic these days."

"Why?"

"I chose 'Sonic' so that Eggman can get done in by the very thing he created: the Sonic Project."

CREAM looked at him weirdly again as she thought about his words. "I think I understand your logic."

"It's supposed to be ironic. But back to business. CREAM, do you have the information on the Sonic Project?"

"All of it. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy—?" Ugh… it's a running gag.

SMACK!

"Yyyyyyyy?"

"The USB drive you gave to Green and me went down with Green. We need _all_ the information you have to bring him down Robotnik."

CREAM nodded. "O-Okay. Let me access—."

BURZAP!

A sudden flash came out of CREAM, forcing Amy and Sonic to cover their eyes for a moment.

"Whoa!" CREAM said having been knocked to ground because of that stunt. "What happened?"

BEEP! BEEP!

Sonic knew that sound from his youth, and it wasn't a good thing.

"My batteries are low," CREAM said. "Strange. They went from 92% to 9% in the blink of an eye."

"I think when she tried to access such a big piece of information from her memory banks," Tails started, "she caused a short-circuit that drained her batteries and nearly blew her up." Amy and Sonic looked at each other with worry. They couldn't afford to let CREAM do that again and blow up all that evidence.

"T, we may have a problem getting the info if that's the case."

"No, you shouldn't, so long as she doesn't try to do that again. Tell you what, if you can get her here, I can hopefully repair her and extract the information."

"'Hopefully?'"

"S, trust me."

Sonic sighed. "Okay, let's do that."

"Just make sure she doesn't try to think too hard in the meantime."

"Thanks, T." He then turned back to CREAM. "You okay, CREAM?"

"Yes, Blu—. I mean, Sonic."

"Your current state isn't good. I need to get you to T."

"Why?"

"Because we can't afford to have you blow up again trying to access the files."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. T is good with machines. He'll have you fixed up in no time!"

CREAM was reluctant to agree as evident by her looking at Amy. The Rose nodded as if to give the rabbit her word that it would be okay.

"If you can vouch for him."

"I can."

She nodded. "Okay, I trust you, Sonic."

He smiled. "Good to hear. But in the meantime, I'm going to shut you off so your batteries don't die. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good." He opened her chest cavity again and put a finger on the switch. "See you back at the lab."

"Wait, a lab?"

Sonic hit the switch before she responded, and CREAM's lights went out. He then picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Turning to Amy, he said, "We can get out via the hole in the wall."

"Good plan."

The two shot off a grapple and descended it, landing on the floating platforms. As they walked back to the yacht, Amy couldn't help but notice the smile and tears in her companion's eyes.

"Hey," she said, touching his arm to get his attention. "How're you feeling?"

He chuckled. "I… I didn't think that I'd ever see her again. I just… I just…."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You feel like million bucks?"

He shook his head. "Better than that. I feel like the luckiest man in the world."

* * *

"So, you're saying that the Air Shoes might not even be completed?"

The shoes' specs were on the big screen. Tails stared at the design with his arms crossed and his eyebrows furrowed feverishly. He groaned in frustration as one of his hands covered his face as his pointer finger tapped his forehead.

"No matter what tech I put in, it doesn't work. I have tried every kind of science to figure these things out." He then flopped back down in his big chair and sulked. "I don't wanna admit defeat, but—."

Rouge shook her head and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. You always do your best, so don't worry."

"But I always exceed your expectations, and this time I'm not able to."

"Tails, don't beat yourself up. Even the greatest minds have had their off days."

He rolled his eyes and huffed. "I guess, but—."

"Calm down and take a break. You're overworking yourself. And don't let that ego of yours kick you for it."

He sighed. "I could use a drink."

"Make that two."

He nodded and hit a switch on his desk. A small fridge rose from the floor. Tails opened it and grabbed a pair of glasses and the bottle of Jack Daniel's. He poured himself one as well as one for Rouge. With a clink, they downed their spirit of choice.

"RETINAL SCAN ACCEPTED," the computer said. "ACCESS GRANTED."

The two put their glasses back in the fridge as they watched Sonic and Amy arrive in the lab with a turned off CREAM. Rouge was a little confused since they brought back a whole freaking robot.

"Uh…?" the bat asked unsure of what to say.

"Remember when I said that CREAM told me and Green everything?" Sonic asked as set his friend down in front of them. "This is CREAM."

Rouge and Tails both stepped forward to examine the rusted robot. Rouge's look suggested that she didn't think too much of it, much less believe that this thing gave Sonic all the info on Robotnik. Tails, on the other hand, was mystified by it.

"Unbelievable!" Tails exclaimed.

"It's a robotic rabbit," Rouge said. "Who cares?"

"'Who cares?'" Sonic repeated. "She has all the evidence on the Sonic Project. She has everything in her memory banks."

"No offense, Sonic, but she doesn't look capable of much."

Tails opened her chest cavity and noticed the USB jacks inside it. He continued to inspect CREAM, even looking under her arms to see the joints. "Rouge, you couldn't be more wrong," Tails said.

"And how's that?"

"First off, what does this Robotnik robot have that other RRC models lack?"

"Miles, how would I know that?"

"She looks just like us, like a Mobian."

Rouge took a closer look at her. "Huh. So she does."

"Rouge, there isn't any other robot like her. I've never seen this model. Sonic, how long did you say she looked over you?"

"Since Green and I were babies. Almost 25 years."

"Hmm…," Tails mumbled. He then got the idea to whip out a cord from the workbench. He then plugged one end into the computer and another into CREAM. When he did that, a chime sounded off from CREAM's body, signifying that her batteries were charging. He pressed a few buttons on his computer, and then the bunny's robotic schematics appeared on the screen. "I'm running a diagnostic on CREAM. Let's see… yep, her vocal processor is in rough shape from the rust. … Hmm… looks like she's made almost entirely of an iron alloy. Since the room she was in was broken open and because of how much rainfall that got in there, it's no surprise that she's rusty and in severe disrepair."

"But she couldn't have been in there for more than a few days," Sonic reasoned. "How could she get that rusty that quickly?"

"Did she ever get out much? Like outside the rig?"

"Not that I know of."

"And there was rainwater on the floor, right?" Sonic nodded. "It's not surprising that she rusted so quickly since she probably wasn't built to go outside, much less get very wet. She was practically swimming in the rainwater for a couple of days since it was always raining at the rig after you and your brother trashed it. That rain easily got into her body and rotted it from the inside out. All of her insides are so rusted out that she might as well have the robotic equivalent of cancer."

"That paints a pretty picture," Amy said sarcastically.

"But that's not the weirdest thing about her. Not only does she look like a robotic Mobian, but look at her insides!"

"I'd rather not," Sonic said.

"No, on the schematics." Rouge, Amy, and Sonic all turned to the big screen. "It looks like she has a metal skeleton that serves as the base for her body. Not only that, her vocal processor is built in way that bears a striking resemblance to a someone's vocal chords. Not only that, but her memory banks look an awful lot like a regular brain. Not only is she a robot, but her build and design is nearly identical to that a Mobian! Her anatomy and mechanical build are heavily based on ours. I've never seen anything like it!"

"Calm down, Tails," Rouge said, "You've made your point, now stop getting all excited."

"Sorry, but you know how riled up I get about machines."

"Don't remind me," Amy said with a little disgust in her voice.

"So, can you get the Sonic Project files off of CREAM's hard-drive?"

"Not when she's offline." He then turned to Sonic. "Wake her up."

"You got it," Sonic responded as he hit the switch.

CREAM's batteries were reactivating, and it didn't take long for her eyes to light up. Rouge and Tails stood in anticipation. For Tails, he was like a kid in a candy store. Rouge? She had her hands on her sidearm just in case things turned south. CREAM finally awoke and looked straight at Sonic, who was right in front of her.

"Blue?" the robo-rabbit asked.

"It's 'Sonic,' CREAM."

"Oh, right. I forgot you want to call yourself that… now…," she finished her sentence, albeit barely as she looked around at the magnificence of Tails' lab. The giant computer, the workbench, the trophies of Amy's cases, all of it. She nodded at Amy, who waved in turn, but her eyes stopped at an excited Tails and an uneasy Rouge. CREAM immediately saw Rouge's hand on her 9mm pistol. "Whoa."

"'Whoa' yourself," Rouge cautiously responded.

The rabbit could see she was on the defensive. "I don't know who you are, but I can assure you that I will not hurt you." She turned to Sonic. "Do you know her?"

He nodded. "This Rouge the Bat. She's an agent with G.U.N."

"Really?" she replied excitedly.

"Yes, and the fox is who I was talking to earlier."

She turned to the fox and immediately noticed how his tails swung freely. " _Two_ tails?"

"Yeah," the fox bashfully replied. "Born with it."

"His name is Miles Prower, but we call him 'Tails.'"

The rabbit got up and walked slowly towards the golden boy. Rouge drew her sidearm and quickly aimed it at the droid. Amy put her hand on the gun and shook her head. "She's okay," Amy affirmed. Rouge shot her a skeptical look, but she holstered her gun nonetheless.

Tails offered his hand to CREAM. "Pleased to finally meet you, CREAM."

"You were on the other end of the earpiece?" she asked as she shook it.

"I was."

"Are you called 'T' by chance?"

"I am. It's a nickname of mine."

"I thought 'Tails' was."

"I have a second nickname."

"Oh. Is this your lab?"

"Yes, and you're plugged into my computer."

She looked up to the screen and saw something very familiar. "My schematics?"

"Yeah. We needed to figure out what was wrong with you. I figured it was because of all the rust that your circuitry was all kinds of catawampus. Turns out I was right."

"You can figure out all that from your computer?"

"Well, I had to plug you into my computer to run the diagnostic first. But yes, I was."

She stepped closer to the computer and marveled at its size. She noticed how powerful the machine was. It was certainly a lot more powerful than her hard-drive, that was for sure.

"CREAM, we need you to relay the Sonic Project information to us so we can stop Eggman."

"Eggman?" she asked. "Oh, yes. Right. Sorry, I was just amazed at your computer. You made this via customization, yes?"

"Good guess."

"You must have a big brain."

Tails blushed and got all flustered. "Well… I don't know about that…." He stopped immediately when he heard Sonic and Amy snickering. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Amy replied.

"You were able to get all of this just from plugging me iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii—." Tails and Rouge covered their ears. Sonic shook his head and zipped up to her. Here we go again, but at least this time, she talked a lot longer before shorting out.

SMACK!

"In?" The fox and bat uncovered their ears. "You were able to get all of this just from plugging me in?" CREAM repeated.

"Yes," Tails responded. "You see I have—."

"Military-grade software that has the potential to—. Wait, what is this?"

Suddenly CREAM turned off and her body fell limp to the floor. "CREAM!" Sonic screamed as he rushed to her side. He picked her up body, scarcely believing what happened. He slammed his fist into the floor. "No! Not again!"

"Sonic, why are you in a fit of rage?"

The group all gasped and turned to the computer. That wasn't _her_ voice on the speakers… was it?

Sonic looked up and couldn't believe it. "CREAM?"

"Yes, Sonic? Wait, where am I?" There was a camera at the top of the computer that moved downward. "Oh my, Chaos! I can see you all! And my body!"

"CREAM! Where are you?!" Sonic screamed.

"Incredible!" Tails said.

"'Incredible?!' I can hear CREAM, but she ain't moving, Tails!"

"Sonic, chill out! I think she may've accidentally found her way into my computer!"

The rest of the group in a collective thought yelled, "What?!"

"He's right," CREAM affirmed. "I found a way into his computer, but I swear I didn't try to do it!"

"I believe I know how she did it." Tails turned to the computer. "When I plugged you in, you must've found that I hooked up to one of your USB ports. This computer can extract a lot of files at one time, and even with your A.I. consciousness, you followed the flow of information into my computer!"

"Why… yes! That's exactly what I did! But I swear didn't try to do it! I was just curious as to where it led! You have to—!"

"Hold on a sec!" Sonic yelled, stopping the conversation in its tracks. "You're telling me that CREAM is in the computer?!" Sonic asked in disbelief.

"I don't think that's entirely accurate, Sonic," CREAM responded. "I think I _am_ his computer!"

Rouge was tense, and for good reason. The bat said, "I don't like where this is going."

"Agent Rouge, trust me, I may have access to Tails' computer as well some of his more frequented sites, like sluttyvixenbimbos.c—."

"CREAM! CREAM! CREAM! CREAM! CREAM! CREAM! CREAM! CREAM! CREAM! CREAM! CREAM! CREAM!" Tails screamed. "Too much information! There is such a thing as saying too much!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Tails turned around to see all Sonic, Rouge, and Amy all laughing hysterically like a pack of hyenas. Sonic was hunched over laughing silently, Amy covered her mouth, but couldn't cover her tear-filled eyes, and Rouge just held her stomach and laughed obnoxiously. If their eyes were open, they would've seen Tails' beet red face.

"Did I say something wrong?" CREAM asked.

That made the trio laugh harder than before. The best part of it all was CREAM's purely naïve attitude about her bring up that Tails was looking up naughty websites. Tails hung his head and wished he could drop dead.

But after a few minutes of comedic ecstasy, the other three finally regained their composure and stopped laughing, though their faces still sported goofy grins, meaning that Tails wasn't going to hear the end of this any time soon.

"O-hehe-Okay," Rouge forced out through the laughs. "CREAM, you're okay in my book. That was genius!"

"Shut up!" Tails screamed. He turned around to CREAM and said, "Okay, what were you going to say? And this time, don't rattle off any website names."

Sonic still chuckled, which lead to Tails giving him the evil eye. That made him chuckle even more. "Sorry," Sonic said. "I'll try to keep a… a straight face! Haha!"

"Because you're doing a great job so far!" Tails yelled.

"If we're all done laughing…. While I have access to Tails' browser history," Amy let out a snort, "and his designs for his various gadgets, you have my word that I will not do anything to hurt anyone."

"Too late!" Amy said with a grin.

Tails rubbed his forehead. "I'm going to murder them all," he said under his breath.

"Alright, enough, guys! Tails has suffered enough for one night. CREAM, can you tell us where Robotnik has his cloning facilities? Which businesses are they under?"

"They're—." A sudden spark erupted from CREAM's body once again. "Oh, dear. We may have a problem."

The group's faces went from giggly to worried at the drop of a hat. "What?" Sonic asked half-heartedly.

"Hold on," CREAM said as she worked some of Tails' programs. "Oh, so _that's_ what's wrong."

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"The rust and rainwater affected my memory banks more than I could've ever expected."

"Please tell me that doesn't mean that we can't get the info?"

"No, we can get it, however, it will take some time to de-corrupt it. I can download the information into the computer, but I only have a few good wires going into my memory banks from the cord that's attached to my body."

At least they could still get it. "How long?" Sonic asked.

"The estimated time would be 36 hours."

"36 HOURS?!"

"There's no way to get the flow to speed up, Sonic. As brilliant as Robotnik was with my design, the damage I could've received via rusting was something that he didn't take into account when he designed me."

Sonic sighed heavily. "But you said you can get it all, right?"

"Did I stutter, Sonic? I swear you have always had a hard time listening to me."

Wonderful, now Sonic was getting roasted, and by the robot who was as close to a mother as he could ever get!

Sonic sighed again and said, "So when would you have it all ready to go."

CREAM sighed. "What part of '36 hours' aren't you—?"

"I meant the time of the day and the date."

"Oh. The E.T.A. for all the Sonic Project information would roughly be at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 28th."

Sonic shook his head and looked at his cohorts. "I guess we don't have much choice."

"No, no we don't," Amy responded.

Sonic sighed yet again. "Alright, CREAM, have at it."

"I'll alert you guys if anything comes up."

"Sounds like a plan," Amy said. "Okay, I don't know about the rest of you, but I need some shuteye." On that, Amy began leaving the lab. "G'night."

Amy left the lab, but Sonic remembered something. He went to her backpack and fished out a filled plastic bag. He tossed it to Tails. "Ah," the fox said, "the brain chip."

"Where'd you get that?" CREAM asked.

"A charred clone that was rotting in the elevator shaft at the rig. I plucked it out of its brain before we picked you up."

"And Amy threw up because of the sight and smell," Tails added.

"Rotting clone corpses?" Rouge asked. She turned to Tails. "You didn't tell me _that_ was where he got the chip from, Tails."

"I thought it was obvious since he told you all about the clones earlier today!"

"Okay, okay," Sonic said. "Enough bickering. Amy's right. We need some sleep. You okay, CREAM?"

"Are you kidding? With this, I can work 24/7 and not have to worry about a battery anymore!" her euphoria made Sonic smile.

"Good to hear. Just make sure not to poke around those sites Tails likes to go to."

Tails shot Sonic a dirty look. Sonic's smile could be best described with one word: shit-eating. "Why don't you go to bed while I still give you the chance?" Tails warned.

Sonic chuckled as he turned around and walked away. "You look like you need some privacy anyway."

Tails was about to go to the workbench, grab a bracelet, and throw it at Sonic, but Rouge sat him down before he could do anything hasty. "Let it go, Miles. It's water under the bridge. Get some rest." Then it was Rouge's turn to head out of the lab.

Sighing heavily, Tails turned back to the computer. He carefully grabbed the chip out of the bag and put it into his evidence area which was to the left of the computer. "Which name do you prefer?"

"Huh?" Tails asked.

"What name do you prefer?" CREAM asked again.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you go by 'Tails' or 'Miles?'"

"Oh. I prefer 'Tails.'"

"Okay. I just wanted some clarification." Tails turned back to the chip. "Tails, get some sleep. The chip can wait until morning."

"No, I'll do it—."

"Tails, don't work too hard. You had a long night, and I'm partially to blame. I'm sorry. Don't force yourself to work this late."

Tails smiled and chuckled. "You sound like my mom. Alright, I can take a hint."

"Good night, Tails."

"G'night, CREAM."

CREAM was alone in the lab. She went to work on the data, beginning the slow process. She couldn't help but feel sorry for what she did to him. She cursed herself for doing so. That wasn't smart of her. But she believed that she could make up for it. She figured that it could maybe be easy, especially since it looked like she and him were going to be working together a lot in the near future. She just hoped that she wouldn't screw up.

But until then, what kind of kinky stuff was Tails into?

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

There were two highlights to my week, and they go something like this:

Last night (9/13), I was pulling freight for the Walmart I work at (Yes, I work at Walmart. Go ahead and have your laugh.) and I was passing by the pets section, which already had cute, little costumes for your dogs since Halloween is fast approaching. And I found out that white people seem to have a new term for the word "sombrero." You know sombreros! The big hats from Mexico that my stupid friends like to wear when they drink too much goddamn tequila?! Before you ask, yes, they're dumb like that. No, I don't drink tequila. I'm a Jack Daniel's and Coors beer guy. Anyway, as I'm passing by a small pallet with little doggy Halloween hats, an older, white woman is talking on her phone, holds up the aforementioned Mexican hat, and she calls it a "Taco Hat."

A Taco Hat.

A. Taco. Hat.

Is that a little racially insensitive? Probably. But my coworkers and I had to stifle our laughter because who on God's green earth would dare call a sombrero a "Taco hat?" Before I go further, I am not racist in any way, shape, or form. But this chick's description me laugh because of the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. I will still call it a sombrero, but this is a story my other friends will probably laugh at too. If this triggered you in any way, I so sincerely apologize. It's just one of the many things I have seen and heard while working at Walmart. In the 6+ years of me being their, I've seen enough shit to write a couple of New York Times best-seller books. I shit you not.

Anyway, onto the second story.

After updating this story last Thursday at midnight and sleeping for like 8 hours, I went out to Buffalo Wild Wings in Monona, WI for lunch since it was my payday (if you have not been to a B-Dubs... GO. DO IT. JUST DO IT). Anyway, it's a busy place for lunch, _quelle surprise_ , and the host/guy-who-puts-you-at-a-table is standing behind his podium. I hold up one finger and say that I would like a table for one. One. ONE. What does he say in response?

"A table for four?"

I'm sorry, but when I hold up one finger, and I come in BY MYSELF, how many people do you think you'd have to seat? I was tempted to leave, but I was hungry and I politely emphasized that I wanted a table for ONE. The weirdest thing was that the host looked like he couldn't have been older than 18, so I thought, "It's noon on a Thursday. Why isn't he in school?!" I thought I'd give you guys a laugh (or try to) to make your days a little brighter. This is the kind of stupid stuff that I couldn't make up.

Self hate aside... CREAM! She's alive and shrieks like a goddamn banshee! Seriously, it's amazing Amy's and Sonic's eardrums weren't ruptured. But I'm getting off topic. Since I ship Tailream on the side (if you couldn't tell from my other stories), I wanted to bring Cream into the fold... somehow. Trying to fit her into this canon was a chore. But then it hit me: if Green and Sonic were to grow up, then at some point they'd need somebody to raise them! It couldn't be Robotnik since he was gone doing dubious activities. There had to be somebody else. Robotnik was great with machines, so why doesn't he build a babysitter? Or in this case, a mother-figure for the twins? It was so perfect! The only thing that wasn't perfect was coming up with a robotic name for Cream in the form of an abbreviation. After a few days of deliberating, I settled on the Caring, Recreational, Educational Attendant Machine. In this AU of mine, CREAM will get some more development and time to shine since I may or may not have put a few loose ends in this chapter.

Okay, small rant time. I know that I'm only human, but missing simple spelling errors in my work still annoys the hell out of me. The irony of that is that I went to college to be an editor. Just in the last chapter that I read for kicks because I have nothing else better to do with my life, i noticed I missed I misspelled "your" and "smart." I should probably let it go, but considering I strive for grammatical perfection, I can't help myself. Making the simple mistakes really hurts my pride, and I hate when I do it.

Alright, let's get positive. The next chapter will be up 9/21, and... wow, it's a doozy. Shout-outs to **MissMJS** , **FireSonic642** , and **IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE** for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks a bunch! As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	16. All in the Family

**CHAPTER XVI – ALL IN THE FAMILY**

 **MONDAY, JUNE 27TH, 2016**

The bat was known for her beauty, but her sleep was anything but. It seemed like this couch was harder to sleep on than a slab of granite. She got herself up on her two feet and reached for the stars.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

She hunched over and moaned. Pure bliss. All joints were now at 100%. Full body stretches were the best.

"Yeesh!" Amy yelled from the kitchen. "I could hear that from over here! You okay?"

Rouge sauntered into the kitchen where Sonic and Amy were having their breakfast. "Better than ever." Sonic rolled his eyes at Rouge's overly dramatic voice. "Any update on CREAM?"

"Nothing yet. I assume that means she's okay and still streaming."

"I just want the information so I can tell the Commander what we're up against. The sooner, the better." Rouge was then given a plate of eggs and half of a grapefruit. "You remembered."

"Yeah, I did. So, what're you going to do today?"

"Well, since I can't report anything until tomorrow, I might as well hit up Amusement Mile to see what kind of deals I can find."

"If that's where you're headed, bring an umbrella."

"Why?"

CRACK! BOOM!

"That's why."

Sonic chuckled. Rouge turned to him and asked, "Well, what are you doing today, freeloader?"

"I don't know. Can't exactly run in this weather. Well, I could, but I don't enjoy getting wet."

Amy scoffed. "Wuss."

Sonic took offense to that. "Well, what do _you_ think I should do?"

Amy grabbed her chin and thought about it. Then she snapped her fingers when she had an idea. "How about I torture you?"

"Ooh, kinky~," Rouge teased. "I always knew you were into bondage."

Amy groaned and blushed. "No, not that."

"Darn." Rouge's smile was off-putting to Sonic.

He looked at Rouge and asked, "What's 'bondage?'"

Rouge stared right back at Sonic and spit out her orange juice at him. She nearly fell off her chair from laughing so hard. Amy covered her face and shook her head. Eventually—and by that, I mean two minutes of non-stop laughter—Rouge waved her finger at Sonic, signaling him to come closer. He leaned in, and the bat whispered in his ear like last night. Sonic's face went from innocent to red and disgusted. He then darted his eyes at Amy.

"Rouge, you're a terrible person," Amy spat. "I hope you die fat and alone with a bucket of ice cream."

"Love you too, Amy."

The Rose groaned. "No, Sonic, I'm not into bondage, but the kind of torture I'm suggesting is you coming to work with me."

Rouge snorted. "You're right, that is worse. Poor sap wouldn't last more than two minutes!"

Sonic stopped mid-sip of his glass of O.J. and glared at Rouge. "That a challenge?"

"No, it's the truth." Hearing Rouge's sing-songy voice was the nail in the coffin.

"I'll be right back."

ZIP!

Sonic was in the lab before either of the girls knew it. Amy just looked at Rouge who had the kind of cunning smirk that villains wish they had. "That was so easy, I almost feel guilty," Rouge said.

"If I have to deal with a giant headache because of this—."

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist. What could possibly go wrong?"

Amy was about to slam her friend's head into the marble countertop. "You _never_ say that!"

"In that case, it's a good thing I'll be shopping while it happens." Rouge walked to the sink and threw her dishes in. She then grabbed her coat and headed outside. "You still a size 4?"

"3."

"Ooh, someone's lost weight. I'm so proud of you. Ta-ta!"

As she closed the door and heard her car pull away, Amy really wondered just how this chick became a G.U.N. agent, and a damn good one at that. Soon, Amy turned to hear the mechanical whooshing of the book cabinet. Sonic walked out all gussied up in his Shadow disguise from head to toe.

"Just so you know, it's my turn to pick up coffee for the gang."

"'The gang?'"

"Myself, Sally, Ken, and Lupe. We can get you one too."

"Never had it before."

"You've never had coffee?!" she asked dramatically.

"Lived on an oil rig," he reminded.

"Riiiiight. In that case, allow me to indoctrinate you about the wonders of the cappuccino and macchiato."

"Gesundheit."

* * *

If she got one more phone call about the speedster from the news, she was going to lose it. " _FML_ ," she thought. First that blue hedgehog snuck into the AMG while she was on duty, and now she was fielding phone calls from up and down and all around about him because of what happened at the docks. That's not to say that she outright hated the guy—she had a big crush on the guy for his good looks as well as his heroics—but another professional call about him would be the last straw. Goddammit, she needed a drink.

The thunder roared in from the doors as she saw her friend walk in, noticeably unhanded in terms of the coffee she was owed. "Amy, where's the—?" Lupe stopped immediately when she saw the guy that followed her in. Despite being a sopping wet mess, he was a _fine_ sopping wet mess. She paid no mind to the fact that his white chest fur was soaked, but rather everything else about him. A perfectly tan muzzle, dark fur, blood red eyes like he was from an awful vampire movie series, and just… whoa momma! And he was walking towards her with coffee in hand! Lupe's love-struck face gave Amy a chuckle. The wolf was twirling around her pen without paying any mind to the phones.

"Uh… Lupe?" Amy asked.

"Yeah~?" she asked blissfully as she looked at the hunky hedgehog. He rolled his eyes and tried to hide a blush. That was now two ladies who thought he was hot stuff in his Shadow disguise. He wasn't that good-looking with it on… was he?

"The phone?"

"What phone~?" Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh jeez!" She picked up the receiver. "AMGFRONTDESKTHISISLUPEFRONTDESKHOWMAYIDIRECTYOURCALL?!" The wolf groaned, knowing she sounded like a raving lunatic. "I'm sorry about that, I was in the restroom when you called and rushed over when I heard the phone go off. … Well, thank you for understanding. … Yes, one moment." She clicked the Line 2 button. "Alicia? It's Lupe. Line 2, please. … Thanks." She hung up and reclined, pushing out a sigh of defeat. That could've gone better.

"Looks like you've had a busy morning," Amy said sarcastically. "One man comes through the doors, and all hell breaks loose."

"Can it, _Rosa_! I don't need teasing today," the wolf huffed (and puffed).

"Okay, okay," Amy said as she backed off. "Shadow, I think the lady needs her coffee. Assuming she doesn't want the coffee and wants you instead in a bathroom stall for five minutes."

Lupe and Shadow blushed madly and glared at Amy. "Don't shanghai me into _anything_ , Amy," Shadow snarled in his gruff voice. Lupe swooned, garnering the attention of Shadow.

"You sound so tough~!" He could practically see the hearts in her eyes.

"Uh… here," he said nervously as he gave her the drink. She took a sip and never took her eyes off him. Lupe the Wolf was in heaven.

"Hey, gaga eyes," Amy said. Lupe didn't acknowledge her. "If you don't start doing your job, I'll have to take him away." That got her attention.

"No!" Her eyes went back to Amy, who was more than a little surprised at her outburst. "I-I mean, I'm sorry, Amy."

"If we're all done undressing people with our eyes—."

"You made your point," Lupe interrupted.

Amy shook her head and turned to Shadow. "I'm sorry about this. She's always like this in front of cute boys."

"Am not!" Lupe quickly defended.

"I rest my case. Anyway, Lupe, this is Shadow. Shadow? Lupe."

"Pleased to meet you~," Lupe said as she offered her hand. Shadow put the other coffees on her desk and slowly shook it, obviously feeling uncomfortable as all hell.

"Likewise…," he trailed off as he picked the coffee back up.

"Lupe, as soon as your swooning is done, I need you to get a visitor's pass for Shadow."

"One sec," she said as she opened a drawer. She pulled out a tag that was held by a lanyard. "One visitor's pass." Shadow grabbed and put it around his neck. "So… what kind of visitor are you~?"

"He's a—."

"I'm one of Amy's informants from Eggman's organization." He turned to Amy who was looking annoyed that he interrupted her. "What? Must I stay silent and be a third wheel? Can't I speak for myself?"

Amy rolled her eyes. Lupe's were still on him. "Just drop it off when you're done," Lupe said. "And make sure you don't leave without my phone number~."

"Oh, for Pete's—!" Amy exclaimed as she covered her face. "Thanks, Lupe. Shadow, follow me."

"Don't hesitate to swing by and talk!" Lupe said as they walked away.

Amy whispered. "I think she likes you."

He didn't hear Amy as he was looking back at the painting behind the lobby's desk. The lavender lady and the blue beau. Both hedgehogs. He saw that picture the other day he was here, but something still felt a little off.

"Hello? Mobius to Shadow?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"I said, 'I think she likes you.'"

"Bite me. Last time I was here, I got the same thing from her. Doesn't she have a boyfriend or something?"

"If she did, she wouldn't flirt so much. I've never seen anyone steal Lupe's heart so quickly."

They reached the elevator. "Would I sound like an asshole if I said that she can have it back?"

"Yes," she answered as she pressed the button and took a swig of coffee.

"And how can you drink that stuff?" he asked with disgust.

"Why? You mean to tell me you didn't like yours?"

"Uh… duh! That swill was _too_ sweet."

"Alright, so I'll get you a black coffee next time."

"No! No more coffee!"

"I'm not going to quit on you yet. I'll convert you."

DING!

They went into the hall. Amy could hear a couple of people inside her office. They sounded friendly enough. "Oh, they're already here."

"Who?"

Amy opened the door to reveal one chipmunk in a jarring, sky blue business dress that matched her eyes perfectly. She was kept company by a monkey in an all-black suit with a yin-and-yang tie. Whoever the cameraman was, they were going to hate the odd and distracting neckwear choice. As Sonic followed Amy, he couldn't help but notice that Sally's face looked a bit familiar. Then he remembered the lady he encountered outside of Amy's office the previous day. Sally and that lady looked a lot alike, so he assumed that they were sisters. No; mother and daughter. The other lady looked older.

"Sorry about the hold-up," Amy defended. "Lupe kept us waiting downstairs."

"We figured it was the t-storm," Ken said calmly. "It's something else out there, I tell ya."

"With all the storms we've had recently, it's not that surprising that we're getting hammered with humidity," Sally responded. Then the co-hosts noticed that Amy wasn't alone. "Who's the dude, Rose?"

"The 'dude' has a name," Shadow jabbed.

"And it's Jeff Lebowski!" Khan joked. Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"Play nice. These are my friends," Amy said before turning back to the hosts. "Sorry about him. He's just mad about the weather."

"He certainly looks like it," Ken said as he walked towards them and grabbed his coffee. "I know the feeling of being a delivery boy," he said to Shadow. "Sally always makes me carry it when it's our turn to grab it."

"Only because you're a cute delivery man, hon," Sally said as she grabbed her drink. Shadow took this moment to set the coffee tray on Amy's desk. "Sally Acorn," she greeted.

"The face of the AMG. I've heard a lot about you, Miss Acorn," Shadow replied.

She blushed. "I don't know if I'm the face of the company," she replied humbly.

"You're right," Ken said. "My face is prettier anyway." Sally elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "Hey, hey! Not when I'm with coffee!"

"Then that must make you Ken Khan," Shadow said.

"It does. Pleasure to meet you, mister…?"

"Shadow," he replied with a sturdy handshake. "Shadow the Hedgehog."

"Pleasure to meet you. Don't think about trying anything on Sally, bud."

"He won't, Ken," Amy said as she took off her wet coat. "He's already swept Lupe."

"I'm flattered she thinks I'm attractive," Shadow began, "but I'm not interested in dating. I have more pressing matters."

"And what might those be?" Sally asked.

"I… think you'll find out soon enough, Miss Acorn."

"Please, the class of 3rd-graders at St. Mark's call me 'Miss Acorn.' Call me 'Sally.'"

He nodded. "Sally it is then."

"What brings you to the AMG? Scratch that. Why did _Amy_ bring you here?"

"Shadow here has some big information on Eggman and asked if he could come in."

"Hmm. Interesting. But I don't know why you'd go to one of our editors about this, Shadow. Nothing against you, Amy, but—."

"I know she's the Rascal," Shadow said affirmatively. Sally groaned in frustration.

"How many times do we have to say—?!" the chipmunk began.

"Sally, he knows."

The Acorn looked at Amy. Sally was a bit stunned to put it nicely. Same went for the chipmunk's boy-toy.

"He knows?" Amy nodded affirmatively. "Well then," Sally began as she turned back to Shadow, "I apologize. I wasn't aware—."

"Water under the bridge, Sally," Shadow said. Sally nodded.

"Alright then. Anything Ken or I could report on?"

"Like I said, you'll find out soon enough."

"Hmm. I'm intrigued. So, how'd you two meet?"

Amy was booting up her computer when she heard that. "Oh, we're not dating. He's just one of my contacts within Eggman's organization. He's got some information that'll knock your socks off. He reached out to me and asked if he could confide in me about what Egghead is planning."

"Well, whatever that is, Shadow, I look forward to reading about it."

"Trust me, you won't," Shadow said honestly.

The Acorn's face stiffened. "That serious?"

"Worse."

That really caught Ken and Sally's attention. "You sure you can't talk about it?"

"It's nothing against you, but I trust Amy more."

"Princess," Amy warned, "you'll get your story. Just be patient."

The chipmunk groaned. "Okay, I'll back off. And you know how I hate being called that, Amy! Come on, Ken." Ken finished his iced coffee and tossed it into the trash on his way out. Before leaving, Sally said, "Hey, if your friend wants to watch us do our newscast, he's welcome to it."

Shadow cocked an eyebrow and looked at Amy as if to say, "Well?"

Amy took another drink and said, "If Shadow wants to do that, that's fine." Amy finished her drink and lead Shadow out the door. The small group went back into the elevator where Sally pressed for the 7th floor, two levels below them.

"Oh, Amy," Sally began. "You have anything else on this 'Sonic' character?"

Shadow slyly smirked.

Amy replied, "No, nothing yet. What Shadow has to say might shine a light on that."

The news anchors looked at Shadow as he nodded. "Really? Sorry for prying, but I'm only asking because—."

"The phones have been ringing off the hook," Amy said. "We saw Lupe losing her mind over it when we walked in."

Sally groaned. "Apparently, I can't finish my own sentences today."

DING!

The four got out and turned down one of the halls and walked through a set of double doors. Shadow took in the scenery of the place. The majority of the room was black with wires running all over the place. Chairs, camera, and lights all faced the only section that wasn't all darkly colored.

That area had a large oak desk with a live look at Downtown Mobotropolis. From the window, you could see Angel Island, the Industrial District, South Res, and minor sections of North Res and Amusement Mile. It obviously wasn't a great picture since the rain and storms were still raging, but it was an honest look at what was happening in the city. Besides the view, the smaller area had light blue walls on the sides with wooden accents on the bottom, though anyone watching the morning news wouldn't be able to see the latter. There were also a pair of green screens off to each side with a green and pink dragon at the left one and a Caucasian man with magnificent facial hair at the other one. To top it all off, there was a picture on the face of the desk facing the camera. It was no painting, but Shadow could recognize who were in it. Why did was he seeing these two hedgehogs all over the place?

Then he vaguely remembered something from his AMG studies at the library a few days ago. " _Didn't they die or something?_ " he mentally asked himself.

"Weird, isn't it?" Sally asked.

"Huh?" Shadow asked, not paying attention.

"It's weird that everyone watching the news only sees Brett, Dulcy, Ken, and me, but next-to-nothing behind the scenes. Is this your first time in a news studio, Shadow?"

"Can't say I recall any others. I'm not usually in a place like this."

"And where are you usually?"

"I'm an Eggman informant. I'm sure you can guess."

"Heh. Say no more."

"You two good to go?" Shadow didn't recognize that voice. It was huskier and older-sounding. It sure didn't come from their group. When he looked to his left, he saw the source of it. Sonic recognized the lady from the previous day. That must've been Sally's mother. The man beside her also looked like Sally to a certain degree. He must've been Sally's dad.

Suddenly, he saw them with shinier hair and without wrinkles. They were looking down at him like he was the greatest thing they'd ever seen.

He shook his head and was back to seeing them as they were: older. What had he just experienced? Some sort of flashback? But how could that be? Man, Sonic's head was spinning. First the two hedgehogs that were plastered all over the building, and now these two. Why did they all seem to ring a bell with him?

"We're ready, Max," Ken said.

"Alright, get yourselves behind the desk. It's time for the news," Max replied.

Sally and Khan left to go to the desk while Amy and Shadow stayed behind with the Acorns. Alicia looked at Shadow and said, "Are you with Amy?"

"Yes, ma'am," Shadow responded.

"What's your name?" Max asked.

"Name's Shadow. And are you Sally's parents?"

"Shadow, that's a bit personal," Amy said.

"Why? Sally looks like her!"

"Cool it, Amy," Max said in a friendly manner. "It's perfectly alright." He turned back to Shadow. "Maximillian Acorn, though everybody calls me 'Max.' And this is my wife Alicia."

"Shadow, these two are my bosses. They own the AMG."

"Oh!" Shadow lightly exclaimed. "I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you." He already knew they owned the joint, but he wanted to act surprised to play up the act.

"WE GO LIVE IN 30 SECONDS! QUIET ON THE SET!" the doggy director barked.

"He always yells that too loudly," Max commented. "You two, come on. We can catch the newscast from the Observation Room."

"The what?" Shadow asked.

"Oh, just follow them," Amy commanded. Shadow sighed but did as he was told. The small group then walked toward a large horizontal mirror with a door to the left of it. When they went through the doorway, there were light green walls, comfy chairs, and couches all around as a few well-dressed people lounged on them. There was also a small water fountain on the far side. However, what was a mirror in the studio was also a window to the studio from Observation. It was a two-way mirror.

"This is our Observation Room, although it doubles as our Green Room."

"I can see that's it's a green room," Shadow replied.

"No, Shadow," Amy said. "It's more than a literal green room. A 'green room' in entertainment is like a lounge for show guests to hang out before and after they go on the air."

"Oh."

"Yes, but Alicia and I use it to keep our eyes on our daughter," Max said.

Sonic couldn't see Amy behind him or the face she was making. She was looking at Shadow/Sonic/Sonadow (whatever the hell his name was) with a lot of concern. She noticed how he kept looking at the painting in the lobby of Jules and Bernadette, and she had noticed how it looked he spaced out when he saw the Acorns.

"Shadow?" Amy whispered.

"Hmm?" he mumbled as he turned around.

"Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you seem a little… off. I guess 'distracted' is the word I'm looking for."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's just… oh, never mind."

"What? What are you thinking?"

"Lemme get back to you on that. Excuse me."

There was a back door that lead to an outside hallway, and Amy went out of the room that way. Sonic stared at the door as she left, wondering what she was thinking.

Outside, Amy pondered why he might be looking at the Hedgehogs and Acorns the way he did. She saw his eyes. It looked like… like he was seeing something familiar, like he hadn't seen them in a while. But that wasn't possible. It couldn't be. He was—.

No, no he wasn't.

Not all the time.

He wasn't always Eggman's little guinea pig. There had to be a time when he wasn't Robotnik's personal science project.

Back in Observation, Sonic pondered why the hell Max and Alicia looked so damn familiar. Same with Sally, but only because she took after both her parents. He couldn't get that picture out of his head: the Acorns looking down on him when they looked younger. And then there was Jules and Bernadette, the hedgehogs from the lobby painting. Why the flashbacks? Were they even flashbacks, or was he going crazy?

He walked up beside Max and watched Sally do the news. His daughter was saying something about how nobody had seen or heard from Sonic since he made his debut a few nights prior. He could only smirk since he knew that he was still getting this much publicity, and all of it was at Eggman's expense.

"Your daughter's a very talented news anchor," Shadow remarked. "Very professional too."

Max chuckled. "Yeah, she definitely takes after her old man in that regard." He got a light elbow and cocked eyebrow from Alicia. "Okay, okay," he joked. "She got some good quirks from her mother too."

"Ken seems nice enough to boot."

"Ken's a treasure. Y'know, when he and Sally graduated together, other news stations in the city were courting him for their news shows, but he wanted to be here since he and Sally were dating. That, and he couldn't see himself working anywhere else. Ken's a great guy. He'll be fine husband for our Sally one day."

"Is Sally your only kid?"

"She's our second one. She has an older brother in the Marine Corps. His name's Elias. He never really liked the news business, so he decided to join up with the U.F.M.C. [United Federation Marine Corps]."

"Does he like it?"

"Some days are worse than others, but being a drill sergeant will do that to you."

"Did he see any action?"

"He saw one tour in Shamar and was wounded in a bombing."

"Oh, man…."

"Don't worry. Thankfully, he only got a few pieces of shrapnel in his leg. He was medevacked out of harm's way. He didn't sign up for another tour overseas, but his superiors admired his fighting techniques and discipline, so they made him a drill sergeant and combat instructor. Right now, he's stationed in Adabat. He's got Alexis and Megan living with him as well."

"Who?"

"Oh, sorry. Megan is his wife. Alexis is his step-daughter. We wish that he was a little closer to us, but we're hearing that next summer he's scheduled to get transferred to Mobotropolis or Station Square, so at least he'll be closer to home."

"Well, that's good news."

"Yep, he'll be home soon enough. It's just a matter of patience."

"Good to hear. Can I ask you something else, Max?"

"Ask away, Shadow."

"The hedgehogs on the desk, they're the same ones I saw on the big lobby portrait. Are they Jules and Bernadette?"

Max nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"What can you tell me about them? Besides the fact that they're… dead." Max sighed and hung his head. Same with Alicia, who was eavesdropping on the conversation. "If I offended you, I'm—."

"No, that's perfectly okay." Max looked back up to the picture. "Jules and Bernadette were Alicia's and I's best friends."

"You knew them that well?"

He scoffed. "Know them? We were all roommates in college. Hell, I even gave Bernie her nickname. I can tell you now that the Knothole University regents were not pleased with two guys living with two ladies when we were in school, but they also knew that we were the heart and soul of the _K.U. Examiner_."

"What's that?"

"The _Examiner_ is Knothole University's student newspaper. It's where we all met."

"Interesting. And you created the AMG with them?"

"Well, it wasn't the AMG at first. The company used to be called the Mobotropolis Freedom Media Group, of MFMG for short."

"We created it so we could enlighten the city's masses on what was really going on in the city," Alicia added.

"What do you mean by that?" Shadow asked.

"What I mean is that all the other news outlets in the city were censoring the news or outright changing it so that the people didn't have the full picture, and trust me, they still do. We believe, and still believe, that crime lords like Eggman and Mammoth Mogul among others alter the news to how they see fit. We made the company to give the people the truth and nothing but the truth."

"We didn't make a lot of friends with other news groups," Alicia began, "especially considering we weren't a big company name at the time like MNN. However, our independence from international media meant that we could focus of what was going on the city. But it was never just about bringing the truth out. It was to inspire people and give them hope that someday the city could be better. Even in the '80s, crime was all over the city, and the cops didn't seem to give a damn about it. They just sat there in their precinct buildings and took dirty money from their mobster backers."

"I'm going to assume you guys made plenty of enemies?"

"Oof, we sure did," Max said. "You don't know how many thugs tried to discredit us and sabotage our operations. But somehow, someway, the people always helped us out."

"They helped you out? How?"

"They were willing to lend us money so that we could keep putting out the news that they wanted and needed to know. They never asked for anything in return, which is something we could've never imagined happening. We were there for them when they needed it, and they returned the favor."

"Now, when Jules and Bernadette were still alive, what did they do?"

"All four of us served as the principal owners. But it wasn't just a matter of putting our signatures on everything. We went out and covered stories, just like our employees."

"We wanted to make the connection to our fellow workers that we were just like them," Alicia said. "We wanted to show them that we were equals. We were reporters and editors too. Although as time went on and the company grew, we had to pay more attention to the more financial aspects of the job. But thankfully, our employees knew that and were perfectly okay with it. They exceeded our expectations by digging deeper into the stories when we couldn't do it anymore."

"And things were going great," Max said. "Our sales numbers were hitting high marks, and our audience was growing. We had more people wanting to work for us, so we had plans to expand the company. The same building we rented all those years ago is the same one we're in today and now own outright. We were planning on making this place ten stories instead of three. We were bringing in more printing presses. We were also expanding into television and radio." He hung his head again and frowned. "But then 1991 came."

"The year of the Baby Scare," Shadow said. Both the Acorns groaned lowly. They hated telling this part of the story.

"Yeah, the Baby Scare. No one ever thought that this city could ever have another city-wide tragedy after the Great Fire of 1921. But they were wrong."

"I've heard the horror stories before."

"Then you know that Bernie and Jules were some of the last Scare victims."

Shadow's eyes lit up in surprise. He looked at the photo of them on the desk. "They were—?"

"Yes. Some of the last ones to suffer from it." Max consoled his wife as the painful memory caused her to tear up. "What you need to understand is that it was a hard time to live in the city. People were running scared. Families fled the city, trying to get away from it all." He sighed. "But not Jules and Bernie, at least until Bernie had to give birth. What made it especially hard for us was that not only were they our best friends, but they were also our kids' godparents.

"I remember getting a call late at night. It was… it couldn't have been later than 2 in the morning when we got it." He sighed. "I remember being hysterical about the whole thing, even waking up Sally and Elias." He shed a tear. "The worst part was that they were about to leave on a flight out of Mobotropolis with the twins when they were trying to escape."

That one word made Sonic's eyes shoot up.

Twins.

He looked to their photo again as the word echoed in his mind. His eyes soon went back to the Acorns, observing their sadness.

"T-Twins?" he forced out. Alicia and Max nodded.

"Our godsons: David and Eli," Alicia said. "They were—."

"The kids' bodies were never found. Just their parents'."

"Just like every parent with a toddler at the time." Alicia noticed the look of shock and horror on Shadow's face. "Shadow? Are you okay?"

He didn't answer at first. He just looked at his reflection in the window, imagining himself without the Fluff on. Blue fur and green eyes with his quills down. Then an image of a bruised Bernadette crossed his mind. And then of another with Jules and Bernadette, seemingly without any harm.

"W-What did the twins l-look like?" Shadow asked as his voice broke.

"Come again?"

"The twins. What did they look like?!"

"David… David looked at lot like his dad, Jules," Max said lowly. "Except he had Bernie's green eyes."

Just like the lavender lady from his drea—.

No.

No!

Oh, Chaos, no!

His breathing became labored. His eyes widened. His pupils shrunk. He began to shake.

"Eli had—."

"Green fur with blue eyes," Shadow interrupted.

"Yes. He was green since he had one grandparent from each side with green fur. It was a fur color that skipped a gener—." Then it hit Max. "Hang on, how did you know that?" Then he saw Shadow and the mess he became.

Sonic's fingers trembled. His eyes went from his shaking hands to the picture on the desk. He saw it all.

The Acorns in a hospital bed.

Sally's young face in the hospital room.

Green in his mother's arms.

The times they fed him his baby food.

The love that they gave him.

And his beaten and bloodied mother telling him and Green that daddy and her loved them very much before she was taken away by the same robots that plagued his dreams.

Tears, amid his panting, ran down his muzzle as he finally put it all together. He was standing in the same room as his godparents. He was standing in the heart of the company his parents helped create. He covered his mouth to try and console himself, but the reality was hitting him square in the face.

He was not Shadow.

He was not Sonic.

He wasn't even Blue.

He was the one of Max's and Alicia's godsons.

He was David.

He was Jules's and Bernadette's son.

AND THAT FAT BASTARD KILLED THEM!

"Shadow, what's wrong?" Alicia asked with concern as Max looked on. Shadow sharply turned to them, barely comprehending what was going on. "Are you okay?" He shook his head and backed away toward the door.

"What's gotten into you, boy?" Max asked.

He couldn't take it anymore. Not another minute.

"I have to go!" Sonic broke character. He didn't say that in his Shadow voice as he ran out of the room.

"Wait!" the Acorns yelled.

* * *

"T, please tell me this is BS!" Amy screamed.

"A, it matches up perfectly. _Too_ perfectly!"

Amy held her hand to mouth. "Oh, sweet Chaos. He _has_ to know!"

"A, I don't know how we're—!" Suddenly, footsteps. Somebody was coming, and they were going to be rounding the corner any second.

"T, I'll talk to you later!" She stopped the conversation to see who was barreling down on her. When the man came around the corner, she was a surprised to see Sonic, but his fake red eyes were all bloodshot. She could tell he was crying. "Son—?" That wasn't his alias's name, and she stopped herself from finishing that remark. "Shadow? What's wrong?" He briefly glanced at her and ran past the Rose, heading for the stairs. "Shadow, wait!"

"A, did you see his face?!" T asked.

"Yeah, I did!" she said as she gave chase.

When he got to the stairwell, he booked it to the lobby, running quickly toward the front desk. He tossed the visitor pass onto the desk and burst out of the building.

"Hey!" Lupe screamed. "Where's that date of mine, handsome? Oh!" she huffed. "Wonderful!" Amy soon came down the elevator and ran to the desk, looking very concerned.

"You see where Shadow went?!"

"He just ran out the building like a maniac! And without asking me out—!"

"Thanks!" Amy said urgently as she ran out and went to the parking garage.

A sopping wet mess, Sonic quickly stopped at Amy's place and burst through the door, still panting heavily. He rushed into Tails's lab and ditched his Shadow garb, tossing it on the workbench.

Tails, turned around in his chair and ran up to Sonic. Tails didn't need to his genius intellect to figure out Sonic was having a nervous breakdown.

"What's gotten—?!" In a flash, Sonic was in his face and grabbed the fox. Tails saw Sonic's heavy, heartbroken eyes.

"Jules and Bernadette Hedgehog!" he screamed as he shook him. "Where are they?!"

"Jeez, Sonic! You don't have to—!"

"Where?!"

SLAP!

Sonic reeled a bit from the hit, but the same frantic eyes were still there. "You have gotta calm down, Sonic!"

"Where are they?!" Sonic screamed again.

"Sonic, for the love of—! Ooh, calm down!"

"How the hell can I be calm, Tails?! I just wanna know where they are!"

"They've been dead for 25 years, Sonic!"

"No shit, Tails! WHERE ARE THEY _BURIED_?!"

"Why do you wanna—?" Bingo, Tails. It finally hit him.

"Where are they, Tails?! I have to know!"

"H-Hold on!"

"Sonic," CREAM said, "I ran a check using Tails's searching programs. Knothole City Cemetery. North of Knothole University."

Sonic frantically zoomed away when he heard that.

Tails looked back to CREAM in the computer. "He knows! CREAM, I don't know how, but he knows!"

"T!" Amy screamed through the loudspeakers. "Sonic just left the AMG like the place was on fire! What happened?! I saw his face, and—."

"Amy," Tails said sharply. "He's headed to Knothole City Cemetery."

"What? Why?!"

"Amy… he knows."

"'He knows' what?"

"He knows who his parents are."

Amy didn't say anything for a few moments. In the car, she was stunned and nearly got into a car accident. "How—?"

"Amy, I don't know, but he's headed there now."

"A-Alright, I'll find him."

* * *

It was a small miracle that the sheets of rain didn't blind him. He dodged cars, people on the street, vendors, and traffic lights. He could've been walking with his parents on these streets right now. But now he was destined to be a freak without them.

A long, black fence was in his path. Using his parkour skills, he leaped onto an awning and propelled himself over. He landed with a mighty splash as a lot of the deathly yard had puddles everywhere. If one could see him, they wouldn't be able to tell if he was crying or if the rain was running down his face. Chaos, he looked like a mess. Red eyes and the face of heartbreak.

He sped around the gravestones trying to find them. He _had_ to find them. He didn't have a good reason why. Maybe some weird connection to people he only knew for a week, but goddammit, it was the best week of his life.

Real love.

Real people.

Real family.

Then he found the stones he was looking for.

He skidded to a stop, splashing water onto the concrete walkways. Still choked up and unable to say a word, he approached slowly. A large sum of granite plastered his family name for all to see. It couldn't have been taller than two feet, but it was plenty wide. There weren't two names there. There were four. Even without his and his brother's bodies, the gravediggers were gracious enough to spare an extra plot for the two of them.

He should've been here with him. He should've been here with his father. He should've been here with his mother.

And as he read the tombstone, he finally let go of what little grip on reality he had left.

 **JULES ALAN HEDGEHOG**

 **Loving Father – Faithful Husband – Gracious Friend**

 **September 13, 1964 – July 1, 1991**

 **.**

 **BERNADETTE MARIE HEDGEHOG**

 **Affectionate Mother – Devoted Wife – Kind Companion**

 **July 8, 1965 – July 1, 1991**

 **.**

 **DAVID MAURICE HEDGEHOG**

 **Adored Son**

 **June 23, 1991 – July 1, 1991**

 **.**

 **ELI CHARLES HEDGEHOG**

 **Cherished Son**

 **June 23, 1991 – July 1, 1991**

CRACK! THWOOM!

The magnitude of it all. Here he was. And he couldn't take it anymore. He fell to his knees, crying and screaming loudly as he slammed his fist against the slab of granite. "WHY?! WHY?!"

"Hey, bring the SWAT team," someone outside of his range of hearing said.

* * *

Her Camaro came to a stop. She quickly got out into the pouring rain and ran into the cemetery. The rain splattered, ruining her makeup, but really couldn't give two shits about that. Despite it being some spooky coincidence that they both found out who he really was, she still needed to find him. She saw what he looked like. Shadow disguise or not, she could see the pain and shock in his eyes when he sped past her.

She slowed down. Even in the pouring rain, she could make out his jarring, royal blue fur. His head rested on the tombstone as he was facedown and blubbering like a weakling. It wasn't the first time she saw him this emotional. He was frantic that night at the beach, but this was different. Way different. Slowly approaching him, she found out just how much of a broken man he was.

His ear twitched. He heard the light splashing of the water under her feet. Look up to his right, he let her see how dead he was inside. She gasped, maybe in shock that someone who was normally so cool, calm, and collected was now a man who had lost the will to live. He quivered as his bloodshot eyes poured out salty tears that were like napalm on his muzzle.

She looked at the tombstone solemnly and then back to him. He hung his head in shame. He didn't want to her to see him like this. The thought of running away flashed across his mind, but he just didn't have the will to do it. What he did have the will to do—and barely, at that—was to break the ice.

"Did you know?" he asked lowly. She continued to stare at him with sympathetic eyes. Ultimately, he got his answer when she said nothing for what seemed like ages. "How long?"

"The same as you," she replied, voice breaking. "Only a few minutes." She kneeled in the wet grass, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Sonic, I'm so sorry." He stared at her, but turned away and nodded, beginning to whimper again. "If I had known sooner—."

"Amy," he said, turning back to her. "There's nothing you could've done." He paused and looked away again. "There's no way you could've known." She sighed and nodded understandingly. "And it's not 'Sonic.'"

She looked up. "What?"

"D-David. David Maurice Hedgehog. That's my name. And Eli Charles is my brother."

"And your parents were some of the best people that this city ever had. It was so horrible what happened to them."

"They weren't just this city's favorite son and daughter, y'know."

"I know. They were—."

"No, not through the AMG, Amy." She furrowed her eyebrow. "For years, I've had these dreams of a lady coming out of a purple desert, telling me something. Robots would first attack me, but when I was victorious, I got to see her. She told me that she loved me, and she knew that I was going to be okay."

"Bernie," Amy said without missing a beat. "You were dreaming of Bernie. It's amazing that you still remember her, even if only in a dream."

"It's not just the dream, Amy. The robots I fought in those dreams were the ones that carried me and Green away. They took her from me and Green. And my dad." He took in a deep breath and looked at her with a slight smile. "I remember them, Amy. I remember them feeding me shitty baby food. I remember being born and being held by Max, Alicia, and Sally Acorn. I remember my dad tucking me and Green in every night."

Amy listened in shock. How was this possible? "How do you know this?"

He shook his head. "Maybe luck. Maybe they were so engrained into my subconscious for all this time. But I also found out something," he forced out. "My birthdate, June 23rd, 1991."

"Why? What's so important about that?"

He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the tombstone. "Every year on that day, Robotnik came by to wish me and Green a 'happy birthday.'"

"So?"

"If he knew when my birthday was—right down to the goddamn, fucking year—what does that tell you?" She shook her head. "He knew, Amy. He _knew_."

"He knew what?"

He slammed his fist again. "HE FUCKING KNEW WHO I WAS! WHO MY BROTHER WAS! WHO MY PARENTS WERE! THAT FAT, PIECE OF CRAP KNEW WHO I WAS, AND HE KEPT IT FROM ME! IT'S HIS TWISTED WAY OF SAYING, 'I KILLED YOUR GODDAMN PARENTS, AND I KNOW WHO YOUR BITCH ASS IS!' HE KILLED THEM IN COLD BLOOD! ALL THOSE KIDS! ALL THOSE PARENTS! _ALL THOSE FAMILIES!_ "

She only listened to him scream and rant. She could see the fire in his eyes. She could see the want, no… the _need_ for revenge. She knew that look all too well.

He began whimpering again and moaning. The way how he was emotionally suffering tugged on more than one heartstring. "I wanna kill him, Amy." That got her attention. "I wanna kill him so badly! I wanna crucify him! I wanna rip his head off! I wanna grab his damn heart and rip it out so he can see it stop beating!" He breathed heavily as Amy backed away a bit in shock. But that was when he broke down again and cried on the tombstone. "I wanna… I wanna do it, Amy," he forced out. "I wanna do it so bad. I wanna slit his throat for turning me into a freak. I wanna break his shitting neck for taking everything away from me!" He slowly turned back to her. She was still hanging on every word. "But I wanna see him suffer in prison more." He hung his head. "I deserve justice. I just… I just…," he looked back up, still teary-eyed as his voice broke for the final time. "I just want him to hurt. I need to avenge them, Amy. Is that too much to ask?"

She looked at him, red eyes and all. Knowing exactly what he felt like, she got closer and gave him a needed hug. He clung onto her like she was the last thing he was ever going to see and broke down even worse than he did earlier. He cried into her shoulder, wailing like a baby. She couldn't fight back the tears as she let her own go. As she shed them, she looked ahead to the other graves, seeing one with a familiar name.

Rose.

" _Sonic, you have no idea how much I know your pain_ ," she thought. _"No idea._ "

She heard a loud slam come from outside the fence. She turned to see—. No! Not now!

"Sonic," she said urgently. "Sonic!"

"Amy, please. Don't leave me!"

"Sonic!"

"Please!"

She groaned. "Sonic, I won't, but we have to go!"

CLICK!

Too late.

He finally looked up to see a 9mm pistol in his face and the SWAT officer pointing it at him. It wasn't Lien-Da on the other end of the firearm, but it was one burly looking bulldog.

"Sonic the Hedgehog, you are under arrest for assaulting a police officer. Hands in the air." Sonic let Amy go. Soon enough, another SWAT officer, with his crew of armed gunmen, came up and viciously grabbed Amy.

"Hey!" Sonic yelled.

"Get your—!" she began.

"Shut it, missy!" the officer screamed. "You're arrested for aiding and abetting a known fugitive!"

"Aiding and abetting?!"

SLAP!

She went down hard and got a boot pressed into her shoulder to make sure she wasn't moving.

"AMY!"

THWACK!

Sonic was hit from behind and groaned in pain. He too got a boot slammed down onto him, although the dog's size-14 clodhopper was in his back. "I don't think so!" the bulldog screamed. "Lien-Da is going to have some fun with you two!"

It was one thing to attack him, but _her_?! The rage that was directed at Eggman from moments ago was back, but his burning fires raged hotter than ever. He turned his face wildly and looked at his attacker with volcanic rage in his eyes.

"Aww, is someone angry?" the dog mocked. His joking smile quickly left as Sonic began to violently shake and vibrate on the ground. The rainwater next to him rippled and quaked as the vibration was messing with the cop's foot.

BANG!

He fired a warning shot. "Next one will be in your head!"

"WRONG!" Sonic screamed.

With the rage of a thousand gladiators, he threw his left arm quickly, nailing the dog between the legs. The cop groaned and held what was left of his family jewels, allowing Sonic to throw off his foot and blast into him, sending him through marble and granite as he crashed into the trunk of a mighty maple tree. Next, he charged into Amy's tormentor, making him skid across the grass and slide when he hit the wet surface. With the rest of the SWAT team ready to fire, he zoomed away and disarmed them all before they had the chance to react. Hurricane-force winds enveloped the cemetery as every officer trembled in fear and clung to the rocks. One poor sap was carried away into an oak. Another went face-first into the fence. Another crashed into a mausoleum and splintered both arms.

"YOU THINK IT'S FUN TO MAKE PEOPLE FEAR YOU ROTTEN BASTARDS?!" he screamed. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT FEAR IS!"

From one to another, he blazed to each of them, hitting them so hard and so quickly that they couldn't block any of his strikes or even begin to counter. Every hit was a critical one. Bones were shattered. Souls were crushed. Bodies were crippled. Broken SWAT officers were everywhere. He didn't kill them, but he made them wish they were dead with how much pain he was giving to each and every one of them. This was his revenge. You do not mess with Sonic the Hedgehog, and you sure as hell don't screw with his friends!

He stopped, surveying the damage while he was still high on adrenaline. Every cop here was knocked out with at least three broken bones apiece. Amy surveyed the damage and was in shock. She was spared from any kind of damage since she was in the eye of her friend's hurricane. There was more carnage here than at the docks. And if this was like when he was mad… well, it was a good thing she was on his side.

However, he left one cop untouched during his tropical storm impression. The poor dragon that had pinned down Amy was sitting in fear of what he saw Sonic do to his comrades. None of them were moving, but they were moaning and crying in pain. When he saw Sonic with a vile and enraged look walk toward him, he tried to get up and run away, but Sonic pinned him to the ground and stepped on his throat. He grabbed the hedgehog's foot, trying to get him off, but there would be none of that.

As his breathing became more and more infrequent, Sonic let him go and watched the poor man struggle to breathe. That didn't last long as Sonic then grabbed the overgrown lizard and harshly tossed him onto a tombstone. He then pinned the dragon's head to the concrete and got right into the cop's face. The speedster was huffing and puffing, not because he was tired, but to make the dragon wish that God would save him.

"You get a kick out of hitting women?!"

"I was only doing my—!"

WHAM!

Concrete met skull.

WHAM!

Concrete met skull again!

WHAM!

Third time's the charm!

"She didn't do a damn thing wrong! You hit an innocent woman!"

"I had my orders!"

"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

SMACK! WHAM!

Sonic saw what he had done. The dragon had a broken nose and a black eye to go with a concussion. His eye didn't take long to bruise. He wanted to end him, but he had bigger plans for this sorry excuse of a cop. He got into the whimpering man's face and said, "What's the matter with you?! Can't a son mourn his dead parents?!"

"Look, I—!"

POW!

One more concrete blow to the skull!

"I'm going to say this just once. If you _ever_ hit another woman or go after my friends, I will rip your limbs out of your sockets and use 'em to dig your grave! Then I'll throw you in it and bury you alive so the worms can start digging into your goddamn body and start fucking each other _in your head_! YOU GOT THAT?!" The man shook his head rapidly. "Tell Lien-Da that her police friends here are all gonna be in the E.R. by sunrise," he said pointing to the carnage. "Just. Like. I. Promised. Do we have an understanding?"

"YES! PLEASE! PLEASE, I GIVE UP!"

He shoved him to the turf. "Go!"

The dragon ran away, hopping into the nearest SWAT truck and burning rubber like he had robbed a bank.

As he breathed in and out, Sonic turned back to Amy, who was stupefied and speechless. He hung his head. This was worse than the incident with Lien-Da. He knew he went too far, and he was ashamed. He turned away from Amy and said, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, ran up to him, and gave him a big hug. Dumbfounded, he turned around to face her. She buried her face into his chest and sobbed.

"No," she forced out. "Don't feel guilty." She looked up to him with the most angelic smile she had ever given anyone. "Thank you."

He smiled lightly, but the guilt wasn't going to go away anytime soon. Neither would his grief about his parents.

She could feel that he wasn't quite alright, so he led him to her car.

"Let's get you home."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Personally, I blame Rouge for all of this. This... is reason #502761489345203598462 on why you should NEVER say, "What could possibly go wrong?" Oh, by the way, how many of read that whole number? You skipped it, didn't you? Admit it!

Back to the topic at hand, we go from a feel-good (and "hilarious" as said by those of you who reviewed) chapter to a real earth-shattering, emotional chapter. Try to imagine yourself in Sonic's shoes. All that information at the drop of a hat. I'm sorry, but Sonic is a hell of a lot stronger than me. Sure, I have poetic license here and could make him dance like a monkey, but I put him through would leave normal men and women insane. You wouldn't be able to comprehend all that information, and Sonic was sure having a hard time dealing with it. And maybe more importantly, this shows how powerful Sonic really is. Kinda drives home the point that Sonic and Shadow are one and the same in this canon. The real Sonic wouldn't get this pissed. Shadow? Oh, yeah.

Side note, I know that calling the cops' beatdown a "hurricane" is sort of a bad buzzword currently, and I am sorry for that if you're dealing with the effects that Harvey and Irma have dealt to the American Southeast. Please know that I'm not trying to make a cruel joke. I always complete my stories before uploading chapters, and this story was completed and edited months ago. This chapter just got uploaded at a really bad time, and I do apologize for that if it brought up any bad memories.

And then there's Amy. We know that she can really sympathize with Sonic. And when I update next Thursday morning, you'll find out why. However, I'm sure you can guess what that might entail.

Shout-outs to **NeckBreak** , **MissMJS** , and **IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE** for the reviews. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	17. Every Rose Has Its Thorns

**CHAPTER XVII – EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORNS**

The dragon sat at the echidna's desk, ready for anything. The two people he answered to were on the other end. Thunderbolt looked down on him like a piece of gum on the sidewalk. Her partner was even more upset at him.

Lien-Da sat silently across from him as her hands were in a tight bind behind her head. This position was known as the "surrender cobra", and was popular at sporting events when one team had pulled something stunning or miraculous, usually in the last few seconds of a game.

"So, let me get this straight," the echidna began, bringing her head up, "you and your entire SWAT team had Sonic and Amy Rose—two people I would love to kill—get away?!"

"Hey, I'd like to see you try and do my job!" the dragon screamed.

"Oh, I know I could do your job better than you, wimpy-dip! That's why I'm your goddamn boss. Now, back to the matter at hand: _how could you screw this up?!_ You told me your partner had his gun! To! His! Skull! His freaking skull! And you all let him dropkick y'all into next week!"

"It wasn't my fault that we were dealing with someone as dangerous as Sonic!"

"When you have a guy like him at your mercy, it shouldn't matter! You had him on a silver platter! And you none of you idiots pulled the trigger!"

"Well, Chaos forbid that we do our jobs and try to arrest the bastard! This was no hit; we were trying to do our jobs and arrest him like a cop's supposed to do!"

"You are SWAT, not the goddamn Salvation Army! And your philosophy should've gone out the window when he began attacking you! You could've popped him one, and it would've been in self-defense!"

"It's not like I could've done anything differently! He was too fast to shoot! We couldn't have gotten our crosshairs on him if we tried!"

"That's horseshit, and you know it!"

"You weren't there, Lien-Da! You didn't see what I've seen!"

"Wrong! I've seen what he can do firsthand!"

The dragon scoffed and shook his head. "Then you're the biggest hypocrite this side of the Central Sea. If you know what he can do, then _you_ should know what Sonic is capable of!"

"I do, but—!"

"No!" the dragon screamed. "Shut the hell up, and let me talk! That maniac is something out of fiction! A rodent who can move at speeds that the Flash or Quicksilver could only dream of! We couldn't shoot off a bullet if we wanted to! He took our guns away before we knew it. He kicked the crap out of the entire Knothole SWAT Division and put 'em in the hospital! He turned a wet cemetery into a friggin' hurricane! And my people were broken and thrown all over the place! But the fire in his eyes… Chaos, I ain't ever seen anyone with that much rage. No one! I made the mistake of hitting the chick, causing him to flip out! He was so freakin' pissed, I thought he was going to tear down a building or cripple my ass!"

"Good for him, he has emotions. What's your point?"

"My point? My point?! My point is that if we're smart, we will not touch him or his friends! I know you've got beef with Rose, but trust me, Lien-Da. Lay off of her. Lay off of _him_. I found out what happens when Sonic gets pissed: someone's going to the hospital in a body bag. And the worst part is that you'll never see it coming! He could come in here and rip us all to shreds! We ain't seen anyone like him! We ain't seen anyone who could kill all of us!"

"So could any crime boss!"

"But not like him! He's no Fiona Fox! He's no Lyric the Ancient! He's no Ixis Naugus! He's no Mammoth Mogul! And he's no Eggman! There's no one else like him, and we need to freaking run! No… you can't run from him! He'll chase you down and make you regret it! He's worse than any terrorist! He's too damn powerful, and there's no way to stop him! Not you, not me, not Eggman. He's the king of this town. No way he isn't!"

The dragon ended his rant and huffed. Lien-Da and Thunderbolt looked at each other, and then back to him.

"I will not accept any excuse. He's a criminal, and we will bring him down." The dragon was about to break the echidna's jaw. "And next time, pull the goddamn trigger."

That was it. He couldn't take this stupidity anymore. The dragon pulled out his badge and pistol. He unloaded the gun and emptied the chamber. He then slammed the pieces onto the desk, never breaking eye-contact with Lien-Da.

"You can't pay me enough to face him again. You wanna death-wish, you got it. He's your problem." The dragon walked out of the room without saying another word. Thunderbolt and Lien-Da sighed heavily, knowing that there was too much truth in the dragon's words.

* * *

The group was silent in the basement. Rouge stopped her shopping spree the moment she got the call from Amy. Only one bag of clothes from Victoria's Secret would have to do. Tails and CREAM went through the city hospitals' databases. Tails was able to get Sonic's finger- and handprints since Sonic had been using his equipment. It wasn't hard to get marks of the grapple rings especially. CREAM went through the databases, trying to find a match. For Tails and CREAM, it was easy to hack into the hospitals' mainframes to access this kind of sensitive information.

'We have a match," CREAM said. She pulled up an older birth certificate on the left side of the screen. On the right was a reconstructed handprint of Sonic's. "And we have confirmation," she said a little shamefully. "Sonic was indeed born David Maurice Hedgehog. It's a perfect match."

Rouge shook her head. "I guess that settles it," she said as she rubbed her arm. "I can't imagine what he's going through." The reason she felt guilty was because out everyone in the room, she was the only one whose parents were still alive. Tails' parents? Drunk driver car crash. CREAM's? She was a computer program, so how could she have one? And Amy… that was a painful road to travel down.

Amy was at the little trophy case on the other side of the laboratory. Of all the news clippings on the wall, the one she starred at the hardest was dated July 2nd, 1991. On the front page were the pictures of Jules, Bernie, and baby versions of Sonic and Green, or David Maurice and Eli Charles as they were legally known. An odd selection in her personal trophy collection, but she had this front page in because it meant the turning point for the AMG, but also because she respected the deceased owners.

She bowed her head in shame. The pain she was feeling, she knew Sonic was feeling the same. Amy knew his situation all too well. It was almost eerie how much they reflected each other. Hedgehogs who wanted Eggman out of power, but both also had incredibly traumatic pasts. And they were both looking for one more important thing: justice.

"I'm going to go check on him," Rouge said.

"No," Amy responded. She turned to the bat. "I've got it."

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Amy walked toward the stairs. "No, but I'm doing it anyway."

She quickly ascended the stairwell to the living room as well as the one that lead to the second floor. She could hear his soft breathing as he sat on the edge of the bed with crossed arms and miserable face as he wallowed in self-pity. She peered into the room, seeing his face. It broke her heart to see someone this heroic so beside himself.

She looked to the side of the room where a bunch of old scrapbooks were. Sonic hadn't spoken since they got back. He went straight up there and had apparently never left. She knew that if he was going to get him to smile again, she would at least have to try and break the ice, maybe even try to relate to him. And boy, could she ever.

She knocked on the doorframe. He looked up, still looking broken.

"Hey," she said with a slight smile. "Are you hungry?" No answer as he bowed his head. "I know a really good recipe for enchiladas. Would you like that?" Still no answer. She should've known that appealing to his stomach might not work. "May I come in?" Again, no answer. However, she took that as a way of him saying yes.

She slowly walked up to him the sullen man, stopping right in front of him. He saw her legs and looked up to her worried face. "What?" he asked. She smiled again, but he wouldn't return it. "Can't I just be alone?" The words hurt her, but she didn't let it show.

"I just came to say that if… that if you want to talk, I'm here. So is everybody else." No response. "We just don't want to see you like this, Sonic. It's hard to watch."

"So don't pity me then." Another painful response. Then he softened. "I'm sorry, that… that wasn't…." She put her hand on his shoulder. With his opposite hand, he reached across his body to hold it. "Thank you."

She drew her hand back. "Sonic, it's okay to miss them."

He took in a sharp breath. "I remember everything they did for me, Amy. How… How could they give their lives for someone they barely knew? How can someone be so selfless?"

She kneeled in front of him. "It's because you were their son. It wasn't because they were nice to begin with. You and your brother were their whole world. The fact they tried to get you out and risk their lives for you is a testament to that. They loved you with all their hearts. If I were you, Sonic, I would be proud to be their son."

"Why? Because they were they were some symbol of hope in this town?"

"No, because your parents were willing to die to keep you safe."

He sighed. "But I feel guilty that they had to die in the first place. Why couldn't I just die instead of them?"

She thought about it for a second. "I don't know. Maybe it was fate."

He scoffed. "Some fate. Parents and brother dead because of some loony with a clone army. And then there's me. A freak with the super speed."

"I think you're just dealing with survivor's guilt." He nodded. "And Sonic? You're not the only one who knows what that feels like to lose someone."

"I know. Tails knows too."

"I wasn't talking about Tails." He raised an eyebrow as she went to the collection of scrapbooks and pulled one out. She came back and sat next Sonic, who scooted to his right to accommodate her.

"What's this?" he asked.

She opened the book. On the first page, Sonic saw two families. The first one was the Prowers with little Tails in between his mom and dad. On the other side were a trio of hedgehogs. One he could immediately identify as a very young Amy with a green dress and an orange tutu skirt. The other hedgehogs beside her were holding her upright on their laps.

One of them was a male that was whiter than snow. He had Amy's jade green eyes and her smile. He had quills that looked a lot like Sonic's except he had a couple of stray spines poking out of the other smooth quills. To his left was someone who looked exactly like Amy. Vibrantly pink fur, three bangs on the forehead, and a red dress. The only difference was that this woman had blood red eyes. The eyes looked as blood red as his Shadow disguise.

"Your parents?" he asked.

"Buckingham 'Bucky' Rose and my mom, Monica."

"You look just like her. It's kind of spooky, really. Except that—."

"I have my dad's eyes. I know." She sighed happily for a moment. "They met at a soccer game at Old Trafford. My mom just moved from Station Square after college because she got a job at a hospital in Knothole and because she wanted to follow Mobotropolis City. 'Mob City' was known as the Station Square Chaos when she was a kid, and she wanted to follow the team after they moved here after the 1979 season.

"First game of the 1987 season was Mob City at Mobotropolis United. They always play each other to start and end the season; best rivalry in the Mobian Premier League." She smiled and sighed. "That night, she had to sit next to a big Mob U supporter. The way she told it, this handsome but wretched United fan was flirting and bantering with her the whole match. It was in fun as she was throwing the banter right back at him. Turned out, they were having a really nice time, even though they just met.

"75th minute (75'). United gets a chip-shot to take a 2-0 lead. He's loving every second of it. She's heartbroken. This was her first City/United match, and City was going to lose. So, to try and cheer her up, he bet her that if Mob City came back and won, he would take her on a date. The way it was going, she'd have nothing to lose. She accepted, and then as if fate intervened, pow! City gets one back four minutes later. They scramble to get the ball back to midfield to kick things off. They get a 3-on-1 breakaway with two minutes left before stoppage time. The game is tied. She can't control her joy. He was stunned that it was happening. But deep in his heart, he wanted United to throw this match. He remarked how beautiful she was and how passionate she was about the game. Then comes stoppage time. Players get four minutes to wrap it up. United never got the ball until it was too late. Big cross gets knocked out by the goalie, leading to a corner kick for Mob City. Degorah Mason lets loose a corner with a sick spin. Keeper knocks it away. City gets a rebound shot in the final minute, and City rallied to take a 3-2 lead and win the game. Three goals in 19 minutes.

"She was about to run circles around the pitch because of that. She described it as a miracle. The pro-United crowd around her didn't take kindly to her antics, but the guy she was talking to throughout the game was defending her. The situation got a bit sticky, but he helped her get out. He was upset that his team lost, but that meant that he got a date with her. The next night, he swings by her apartment to pick her up, honoring the deal. They went out to a fancy dinner and… hit it off perfectly."

Sonic was lost in how passionate she was about the story. The raw emotion, how her voice just lifted as Amy recapped the epic match. As Amy continued her story, she flipped through the scrapbook's pages.

"Five months later, they went back to Old Trafford for the rematch. It was the final game for Mob City in the 'Traff' before their move to Whitecliff Bank Park in Knothole for the next season. Both teams are tied in points heading into the final match of the year. Winner gets the Premier League crown. Mom and dad had been dating for a couple months, and they were both excited as all hell. What could be more important than the league championship? For my dad, one thing.

"It was a quiet game for the first half and most of the second, but City finally got on the board first in the sixty-eighth (68') minute. United tied it in the eighty-first (81'). Three minutes of stoppage. Everyone in Old Trafford got nervous. Title on the line. Tie game. Last few minutes. And my dad, the stoic United supporter, was cheering for City the whole way through. He and the Blue Army wanted a goal in the worst way. Ninety-second (90+2') minute. City gets its goal. The place roars. The Blue Army is in a frenzy. The Red Devils can't believe it. They blew it again to City.

"Whistle sounds. Game's over. 2-1 Mobotropolis City. 1987 Premier League champs. The place is rocking. My mom is in tears. Her Chaos won the title, and she saw it live. But she cried more when she tried to console Bucky. He simply looked at her. He kissed her on the cheek, and he knelt down on one knee." She sighed happily.

"Your dad had a great sense of occasion," Sonic remarked.

Amy nodded. "That he did. Seven months later, the day that City and United would be playing in the '88 season opener in the new Whitecliff Bank Park, they were married. Somehow, the Mob City bigwigs got wind of the story about how they met and how they got engaged. The day of the season opener, the club allowed them to get married at Whitecliff. Paid for the reception and everything. My mom was beside herself. My dad was relieved that there would be no payments. He thought for sure since he was a United man that he'd get stuck with the bill. That wasn't the case. They got married on the field on that weirdly warm April morning. Both teams were in attendance. My dad said he was jealous as hell that some of the City players were flirting with her during the reception. The reception ended as they got everything cleaned up for the season-opening match. Mom and dad were on the sidelines during the game. Once again, City won another close one in the final minutes 1-0."

"Sounded like a pretty eventful day," he remarked. Sonic was feeling a lot better now. This was the kind of happy-go-lucky story he needed to hear. Now, he was mostly cheered up. That was when Amy's smile began to fade, and the fear of something bad happening creeped into Sonic's mind.

"Naturally, they wanted children now that they were married, but they chose a stressful time to conceive me."

"The Baby Scare," he guessed.

She nodded. "Granted, when it was all happening, my mother was only… I want to say 4-5 months pregnant with me at the time of the Scare. She and dad moved to Station Square with my mom's parents until it was safe. They wanted their daughter to have me in S.S., but Bucky and Monica were needed back home in Mobotropolis. On September 23rd, 1991, I was born. A couple of years down the road, when I was old enough, dad and mom told me how the Scare was so stressful on them that she nearly had a miscarriage. Hell, I was even born a month early."

"Yikes."

"Yeah, 'yikes,' is right. But I'm still here."

"But they aren't," Sonic lowly said.

She bowed her head. "It was April 7th, 2010. A couple of years after the Prowers died and Tails became my foster brother. I was a high school senior. Tails was already in college because of his big brain. However, it was my parents' anniversary, and they were headed to the United-City game as an anniversary celebration. The game was at Old Trafford, and my parents were going. I was in charge of Tails when they left. He and I were taking care of our homework in the living room, watching the game on the TV. It was a great game. Tight throughout, but United won it 2-1. They had a 2-0 halftime lead and never gave it up. Then… then _it_ happened." Her voice sounded so defeated.

"My dad wasn't happy with the parking prices near Old Trafford, so he and mom used another parking garage a couple of blocks away from the stadium. The mall around the area was getting expanded, so there was a lot of construction equipment and half-finished buildings in the area. It was the last place you'd see anyone, really. Mall was closed, it was nearly midnight, and there weren't many people there. But there were some. When the sun went down, gangsters were out in that part of town since they knew that no one would bother them." She shook her head and began to well up.

She took in a sharp breath and continued. "Allegedly, some of Eggman's goons had heard a rumor that Mammoth Mogul's crew was arranging a big deal at the construction yard, so Eggman sent his A-listers to ambush them.

"Oh, man," Sonic said.

"My parents were walking back from the match to the parking garage. They were passing by the yard when… when…," she took in another breath.

"All hell broke loose," Sonic guessed.

She nodded and began to sob. He put his hand on her shoulder. Amy flipped the next page. Sonic was horrified at what he saw next, but he expected it. Two bodies under white sheets.

"A gunfight started when they were passing through. Mogul's men were no match for Eggman's. Bullets whizzing everywhere, bodies falling to the ground. Including mom and dad. There was a traffic camera that caught everything. Mom got a stray round in the leg. She was hurt and bleeding badly, so my dad got her off her feet and began to run to the garage, only a block away. That was when the shooting stopped. Eggman's crew won, but they didn't stop with taking Mogul's 'goodies.' One of them walked into the street. He… looked like a demon. Grey and red skin, yellow, soulless eyes, a tail fit for Satan. One sniper rifle. He took aim. Once… and then twice."

Amy's voice broke on that last sentence. Sonic could hear the rounds in his head go off. He could also imagine them going right through Bucky and Monica.

"He walked up to them. They were both downed in the middle of the intersection. They were both barely alive. Mom was bleeding worse than before. Dad was shot in the hip. When he went down, she did too." She took in a sharp breath. "And from the godforsaken traffic cam, I saw _him_ put another round into each of their heads."

He could hear the bullets ring out again. More importantly, he heard Amy crying lowly, tears dropping onto the pages. What started out so happy was now filled with sadness. Knowing she needed support, he took the book away from her and set it behind him on the bed. He put his arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. How could something like that happen to her parents? Now he knew why she didn't want to talk about them. As bad as Tails's parents' deaths were, this was worse since it was in cold blood.

She finally stopped, but her eyes were still red. "They were just trying to get out of there. He was just trying to get her to safety. And he shot them," she whimpered. "They didn't do anything wrong, but to _him_ , they were witnesses, so they needed to be silenced, but I know that they weren't interested in the deal."

"Wrong place, wrong time," he said.

"In its purest form," she said as she shook her head. "Tails and I got the call. I'll never forget Miles's face. He looked like he lost everything again. Two sets of parents killed, this time murdered, and his godparents to boot. Me… I remember crying into the police officer's chest after they told me the news. I didn't stop for hours. I didn't want to. But the officer had to leave. Luckily, Rouge came over after hearing what happened. She was working with Tails on his first few gadgets at the time, and she rushed over to look after us. Rouge came with her parents, but I didn't want her parents with us."

"You wanted yours."

She nodded. "We got a call a few days later from a detective. His name was Mighty the Armadillo, and he was one of the proud and few good cops in the MPD at that time. He himself looked over the tape and arrested the bastard that killed my parents. He came over to take Rouge, Tails, and me to the precinct where we saw him for the first time. Rouge recognized him in an instant. He was on G.U.N.'s watch list. He was domestic terrorist and was one of the most lethal assassins in Eggman's employ. A lizard that underwent several surgeries to become Eclipse the Darkling." She scoffed. "I can still see him now," her voice now filled with contempt. "Mighty showed us to him. Tails cried when he saw him. He scared him that much. Me, I wanted to jam a sharp pencil in his eye. That was when Mighty told us that he made bail and he'd have to be set free. I guess Eggman paid it. However, Rouge asked to see the footage of the shooting. She was still an G.U.N. agent back then, so he allowed her to watch it.

"They dropped us off in the waiting room while they went to see it. A few minutes later, we hear Eclipse screaming his head off as officers are escorting him to a holding cell. Rouge and Mighty came back with smiles. Rouge told us that she was going to pull in a favor from G.U.N. to make the MPD hold Eclipse until Rouge's people came to get him. With him being Eggman's #1 hitman, he was on G.U.N.'s lists, so they were able to hold him on that. Mighty then promised us that he would see this through. He'd see him get thrown in prison for his deeds, and Tails and me would get justice. I wanted him dead, but knowing that Rouge's people would make sure he got his comeuppance, it was all I needed to hear.

"From the crap I've heard in the city's underground, Eggman was not happy that his favorite killer wasn't getting out since not only were the feds were getting involved, but a clean cop was the one to arrest him. He apparently thought that because of Eclipse's carelessness, the Darkling was dead weight. And if he squealed on his operations… well, that didn't sit well with him. That was until someone in the Egg's lower ranks offered to take care of Eclipse. He was a liability, and he needed to be axed.

"Months went by. I was accepted into Knothole University and Mobotropolis State and trying to figure out which one to go to. Tails was still helping out Rouge with his creations. But we were both still missing my parents. However, it was going to be put to rest soon enough. Eclipse was going to go trial. We were going to see him get sentenced and everything.

"Mighty, Rouge, Tails, and I were all escorted to the city courthouse. To no surprise, the reporters were all there covering Eclipse's court date. Out of all the news companies represented there, I remember the AMG being there and being one of the only news groups to say the story as it was. The other stations tried to make out Eclipse as an innocent man, which is hardly surprising since Eggman has had a hand in manipulating their news for years. But the AMG was the only group to be completely honest, and their good name meant that Rouge and G.U.N. were willing to talk to them about everything.

"We get out at the courthouse, and we're getting peppered with flashing cameras and microphones. Mighty and Rouge were leading us through the maze as our temporary bodyguards. We were then told to stand off to the side since _he_ was coming up. Sure enough, he was cuffed and everything and was getting hit with press questions. I remember him looking at me, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. It was like he knew something we didn't. I always thought because he was confident that he was going to be set free.

"As he's being escorted to the building, the press is following closely. I was admiring the nice weather when I saw someone at the corner of a nearby roof. It was tall, but I could see her clear as day. There was no missing her. I was wondering why someone was up there. I thought he was another press guy getting a bird's eye view of the action." She sighed heavily and scowled. "But she wasn't there for pics. She was, however, there for the action. I noticed too late that she was aiming something… like a rifle."

"Oh, no," he said in a defeated tone.

"Two shots. First one went through Mighty's head. Blood went all over me since I saw so close when it happened. The press went nuts. I saw Eclipse's face. He looked like a churchgoer who had just found Christ. I could see the hope in his eyes. He looked right at where the bullet came from. He thought he was getting out of this. Eggman came to get him out. Second shot. His face went from hopeful to flat in an instant. One .243 bullet right between his eyes.

"As everyone panicked, I rushed to Mighty's side to see if he was alright. Tails and I saw pieces of his brain were all over the sidewalk. Rouge grabbed both of us and got us out of there, but to this day," she said with venom in his voice, "I can still see a hint of red and black back away from the sniper's nest."

She shrugged off Sonic's arm and crossed hers. "Two months later, an echidna dominatrix got promoted to a prominent position within the city's SWAT division. I knew her stinking face from that day at the courthouse."

"Lien-Da."

"Lien-freaking-Da," she hissed. "That witch didn't kill my parents, but she took away the justice I needed. I needed closure on the whole debacle, and what did I get? Mighty's blood on my face and a killer as Eggman's newest #1 hitman! I got robbed, and those criminals were the ones that did it!" She noticed that she was getting more worked up about the whole thing from her rising voice.

"When the news broke that former Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Lien-Da the Echidna got the SWAT job, I wanted to end her like I wanted to end Eclipse. I felt nothing but hate and contempt for her, Eggman, and the crime in this urban cesspool. But I remembered that the police wouldn't help me. Half of them were Eggman's anyway. No, the only way I was going to bring them down was through the news. When breaking news hits, the shit hits the fan, and I wanted to be the one to throw it at them. I wanted to expose them for every crime they've done. I wanted them to run in terror as mobs of people would come in and destroy them for the strife they've caused. From that day on, I dedicated myself to finding the truth and trying to ruin all criminals, no matter how high or lofty they seemed. I didn't want any news channel to get punished because of what I did, so I became an anonymous news-gatherer. I used Tails' inventions to help me get in and out of trouble. Rouge had plenty of underworld contacts, so she helped me gather information on this town's underworld. They were reluctant to help me, saying that if I was going to do this, they would need to help me to make sure I didn't get killed, so they joined me in the pursuit.

"I became the Rascal. I started out at the Knothole University paper, going by my new identity and exposing the corruption in this town. On top of that, I double majored in Print and Broadcast Journalism. Any free time I had, I was out and about as the Rascal finding incriminating stories. Eventually, I started sending my findings to the AMG since they were the only group I trusted outside of Tails and Rouge. Eventually, they offered me a job as an investigative reporter, but I turned them down. I didn't want to join them officially and put my name out there, for my safety and theirs. But at the time, I needed a steady, paying job, so we worked out a compromise. As Amy Rose, I'm officially an editor."

"And because you're also the Rascal," Sonic began, "you could 'voluntarily' send in incriminating information to the AMG for them to broadcast. You keep your anonymity, and the AMG gets their stories."

"Exactly. Thankfully, the Acorns and the AMG have been very good to me, so in turn, I'm loyal to them."

"So... that's why you are the way that you are."

"And why I was willing to hear you out that night at the docks when I heard you had the mother of all stories on Eggman. Was I skeptical? Yes, but your story has the potential to ruin Eggman and his entire organization in one fell swoop."

"Is that why you're keeping me around?"

She sighed. "Not entirely," she said in a more down-to-earth tone. She looked at him. "You had such a hatred for the doctor. I could tell that from when we met. I kept you around partially because I was getting a story out of it, but I wanted you to stay around because you're someone I can relate to."

He raised an eyebrow. "Because of how much we hate him?"

"Not so much that." She turned to look him dead in the eyes. "When I see you, I see a reflection of myself. I see a lot of similarities between us. I see a kindred spirit. We're passionate about setting things right. We want justice. And until today, I thought that was where the similarities ended. Today, I found out they you're even more like me than I could've thought. Getting screwed out of justice… and both of us missing our parents."

He sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Sonic, there's one more thing." He looked at her inquisitively. "I wanted you to stay around because I feel safe with you. Twice you've saved me, and I can't say how thankful I am for it."

"Amy, it's no—."

"Please let me finish," she said as she put a finger to his mouth. "Sonic, you're someone who gives us all hope. The things you can do, your drive, it's a powerful combination. You're our best chance at not only taking him down, but you're also the one who gives us that hope because of what you can do. What you can do so effortlessly is what makes us all feel safe with you, and it's that safety that gives us hope. There's no one else like you, Sonic, and we're all thankful to have you on our side."

He starred at her for a few more seconds, reading her eyes. He could see the passion in them. Not necessarily the romantic kind, but the kind of passion that only comes out when someone shares their truest of feelings.

He kissed her cheek. "Thank you," he said honestly.

She blushed and chuckled. He had to admit it was kind of cute seeing her all flustered. "You're welcome," she said as she got up and walked away.

"Amy?" he asked. She stopped and turned around. The he asked it, her heart nearly skipped a beat. "I know it was hard for you to tell me what happened to your parents, but I'm honored that you'd tell me about something like that."

She smiled. "Come on. I'll make you some of those enchiladas I talked about."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Woof. What a chapter, and what a last couple of days I have had.

First, the chapter. Amy's backstory is more than a little dark. There was a reason that Amy's past was as grim as Sonic's and Tails's. Remember, this story is meant to in the style of a comic book superhero movie. Which other superhero lost his parents at a young age? Actually, who's the most popular superhero who lost his parents at a young age? Batman, of course! You see, there is supposed to be some symbolism here between Sonic, Tails, and Amy. They have similar pasts, yes, but they are all based on an aspect of the Dark Knight (fitting since Batman is my favorite comic book hero). Batman is a detective sleuth. So is Amy. Batman is highly intelligent and an inventor. Just like Tails. Batman is a highly skilled combatant who can take you down before you know it. Same with Sonic. The main trio of heroes (sorry, Rouge and CREAM) are all reflections of Batman's skills and personality.

And now... my week. Where do I begin?

I guess we start with last weekend. It's a stressful time for me since I am as big of a sports lover if you already don't know. The Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers are my jam, and they were on full showcase this last weekend. Brewers lost a lot of close, extra inning games while being in the middle of a playoff race (as of 9/25 when I'm writing the A/N). And last Sunday, I was able to go the Packers game up in Green Bay. The Pack trailed by as many as 14, but they rallied to send the game into overtime and win it 27-24. To say my blood pressure was and still is through the roof does not do my vascular system justice.

While I'm glad that my long, sports-filled weekend is over, there was 1 negative that came out of it. And no, I'm not talking about President Trump's remarks about some professional athletes kneeling/sitting for the national anthem (I could be here all day talking about that, but I won't since you've probably heard about it and are sick of hearing it like I am). The negative, ironically, stems from the Packers game. The night before the game, an old friend of mine was going to go with me to see the Packers play in Green Bay. It would've been her 1st time at Lambeau Field. Keyword: **_would've_**. Unfortunately, she was still fighting a nasty stomach virus AND many cities around Wisconsin were experiencing record high temperatures in late September. To put it into perspective, the usual high around this time in SE Wisconsin is around 60 or so degrees (give or take). Last Saturday was 93 degrees where I live, and I was baking in a semi trailer getting store merchandise off of it for work. Lovely day. **I enjoy sweating my ass off and getting tired more quickly than I usually do** (and it doesn't help that I'm not the most physically fit person on the planet).

Anyway, because the game was going to be in the low 90s all game-in the baking sun-and because of her virus, she had to bow out at the last minute because she feared for her health. Regrettably, I couldn't find anyone else to go with me given how short-notice it was, and to say I was stressed out trying to find someone undersells my panic levels. With no other option, my mom tagged along. Sure, it was a great game, but I really would've liked my friend to come along with me since I sorta like her. It would've been a date of sorts, and what better way to treat her than her 1st Packers game? The fact that she had to medically bow out was disappointing, and it really stuck with me all weekend. As much as I love spending time with my mom, this was one case I wish she hadn't come along. I'm still a little sore about it, but there was nothing I could do. My friend did what she thought was best, and I have to respect that. And in case you're wondering, yes, baking in the sun all Sunday (no pun intended) with next-to-no wind in a football stadium gets you sweaty and uncomfortable really quickly. My face is still as red as a lobster.

Anyway, that's my story. Er... not the end of the fan-fiction, just my week summed up in one event. We still have six more chapters after this one... and next week (10/5), you'll be getting a double-dose of chapters! The reason being that the two chapters happen on the same day and because chapter 19 is so short. So rejoice in that... I guess. Shout-outs to **NeckBreak** , **MissMJS** , **True Hyper Sonic** , **FireSonic642** , **IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA** **USE** , **Shadowcast214** , and **Guest** for the reviews. Thanks! As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	18. The Plan

**CHAPTER XVIII – THE PLAN**

 **TUESDAY, JUNE 28TH, 2016**

This was the day. CREAM was going to have all the information. CREAM said that she'd have it around 10 o'clock. It was almost 11. Tails was a little worried that something wrong might happen with the information transfer from the robo-rabbit's old body to her de facto new one in his computer. Rouge was downstairs sipping on black tea as she waited. She got an early start that morning on the shopping that Sonic brought to an abrupt end yesterday with his panic attack.

CREAM's longer-than-advertised info arrival time had made Sonic more than a little impatient. Luckily, he found a pullup thingamajig to toy with in the meantime. He needed Rouge's help to set it up, but when it was good to go, Sonic was giving himself a workout. It felt good for him to get back on the old grind that he lived through for 25 years.

Besides pushing himself to his limits, Sonic took the time to reflect on the previous day's events. Yeesh, and what a day it was. It was a little hard to believe that of all the people who could've been his parents, he just had to be Bernie's and Jules's. Add in the fact that his godparents Max and Alicia didn't know that he was still alive. Did they miss him? If the story they told him was any indication, then yes, they did. That got him to wonder. How could he reveal himself to them? Better question: how would they react?

"… 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204—." He stopped mid-pullup as he heard someone coming out of the secret entrance. There stood Rouge, admiring the hedgehog.

"How many have you done?"

He finished the pullup and dropped to the floor. "205 when you stopped me." Rouge walked past him and grabbed a kitchen towel. He handed it to the sweaty hedgehog. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, tough guy. Just came up here to tell you that CREAM's nearly done. She'll be done in less than a minute."

"Alright, lemme grab a water first." He zipped away and return in less than a second. "Okay, I'm ready."

She shook her head. "Showoff."

In no time, they were back down in the lab with Tails furiously at work. "How much longer?" Tails asked.

"Any second now, Miles."

"CREAM, please, no need to be so formal. It's 'Tails.'"

"Right," she said with a hint of embarrassment. Using the cameras, she saw Sonic and Rouge approaching. "You're just in time, Sonic."

"That's what Rouge has been saying."

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Download complete," CREAM said proudly. The others sighed in relief.

" _Finally_ ," Sonic thought.

"Alright, before you start giving us the dirt, CREAM," Tails began, "Let's try to get Amy on the line." The fox then hit a few buttons, unmuting the microphone in Amy's AMG office and powering up the hidden camera on top of her TV. From their angle, they could see Amy typing away at her computer. "A, are you busy?"

"No. Why, T?"

"CREAM's done downloading the information from her body." They could see Amy's face light up. Well, the top part at the very least. They bottom half of her head was stuck behind the computer.

"That's good to hear."

"We were going to wait for you to get some free time so we could discuss it."

"I appreciate the courtesy, T. What've we got?"

"Well, Amy—."

"Hold on, CREAM!" Tails interrupted.

"Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes, but weren't aware of it. When Amy or any of us are out in the field, i.e. when she's in her office, we usually call each other codenames. Mine's 'T' Sonic's is 'S,' Rouge's is 'R,' and Amy's is 'A.'

"Why do you do that?"

"Just in case someone barges into Amy's office and hears us, using our first initials as codenames keeps our anonymity."

"Uhh… I think I get it? What should I call myself then? 'C?'"

"Works for me."

"T," Amy began sounding very impatient, "don't hassle her. And you were the one to call out her full name just a second ago. Now come on. We need to get down to brass tacks."

"Just laying down the rules. That's all."

Amy groaned. "I'm sorry for that, C."

"That's okay. Tai—. I mean _T_ has his way of doing things, so it's only polite to adhere them."

"Ladies, are we done?" Sonic asked.

"Sorry. As we know, there are in 20 locations across the city with cloning plants underneath them." As she said that, CREAM pulled up a map of Mobotropolis on the big screen. Using red dots, she marked up the map. Additionally, four more areas were dotted in a bright green. Each of those four spots were in different neighborhoods. "The red dots are the cloning facilities and each of them are directly underneath a Robotnik Enterprise business. The only way to access these locations is a special elevator in those businesses, or through a cutoff tunnel system."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rouge said. "Slow down, bunny. What's up with the green circles on the map?"

"Those green dots are cloning station hubs. They were actually what I was going to talk about next."

"Well, don't let me stop you."

"As I was saying, these four places are known as cloning station hubs. They are Eggman's method of distributing the clones."

"How would he do that?"

"Look at the red markings. As you can see, there are two cloning stations in North Res, three in Amusement Mile, five in Knothole, five in Angel Island, one in South Res, and four in the Industrial District. Also, note that the four green markers are in distinct places within the city. Each station corresponds to one of four district hubs that are also under the city. There are five stations per hub, and the hubs are built directly underneath four locations of mass distribution for Mobotropolis. The four districts are as follows: the Air District, the Road District, the Train District, and the Boat District. Each district name corresponds to how Eggman tends to get the clones out of the city."

"But you said that the stations correspond to one of four hubs. Can I assume that the clones are somehow moved to these hubs?"

"You can do more than assume, R. Let me get specific. The Air District, or AD, consists of the three stations in Amusement Mile and the two in North Res. The Train District, or TD, consists of all five Knothole stations. The Road District, or RD, consists of the five on Angel Island. The one in South Res as well as the four in the Industrial District make up the Boat District, or BD.

"Now for the movement process. When the time comes for the clones to be fully matured in two days, robots that Eggman has put down there will begin to take the clones—still in their stasis cells—and load them into specialized subway trains to go to that district's hub. At the hub, the robots there will be able to discreetly take them up to the surface and load them onto the various vehicles and cargo holders that will be used to transport them. For the AD, the clones will be loaded onto planes for shipment from General Mitchell International Airport. For the RD, it'll be semi-trucks at the RRC Distribution Center. For the BD, it'll be a freighter at Port 69 the Mobotropolis docks: around the same place where S broke up that drug and arms deal. Finally, for the TD, it'll be with locomotives at Megalo Station. Are you all still with me?"

"What did you mean by 'specialized subway trains?'" Amy asked.

"The set of train tracks that the hubs run on were built more than two decades ago under the cover of—."

"The Robotnik Rail," Tails interrupted.

"The what?" Sonic asked.

"The 'Robotnik Rail,' as it was nicknamed, was supposedly built to not only be a faster, safer subway system, but also connect the city's hubs, namely the airport and Megalo Station. It was also built to have stations underneath some Robotnik Enterprise locations to supposedly 'unify the Robotnik Enterprises brand.' The elevators that went down to the cloning stations, if I can take an educated guess, are the same ones used to get in and out of the stations, not just for the disabled. Many people thought that it was a waste of money since the subway already did a fine enough job getting people around, but the City Board still passed the bill to create it. Two years later in February of '97, it was deemed ready for business. Problem was that on its maiden run, it crashed and killed all of the passengers on board."

"Woof," Sonic commented.

"But here's the thing. The people that died on the train? The entire City Board."

"Sounds like the Egg was tying up loose ends," Rouge said.

"Yes, R," CREAM affirmed. "That's correct. Because of the 'malfunctions' with the rail, all Robotnik Rail stations were immediately closed and cut off from the surface. To no surprise, it was all a ploy so that Eggman could get his distribution system completed. Robotnik had his robots seal off the staircase/fire exits to the stations and reprogram the elevators so that they didn't go down all the way, unless you had a secret 8-button code to access it. With the stations cut off, he could now send his robots down to make his cloning facilities and hub systems a reality."

"All this and the city was none the wiser," Amy said in an impressed tone. "I hate the guy's guts, but that's pretty damn slick."

"Save the appreciation for later," Sonic said. "How do we stop the cloning stations?"

"To do that," CREAM began, "we would need to access each station's mainframe and physically shut it down."

"We can't just hack into the systems from here?" Rouge asked.

"No. It _must_ be physically shut it down. Eggman made sure of that years ago, and there's no way around the firewalls. Even though I have all the shutdown codes for each station, neither T or me have the wherewithal to hack in from a remote location. You couldn't even use Eggman's biggest computers at the Robotnik Enterprises Building or his apartment to hack in. It was done as a security measure so that if anything happened, he would still have cloning stations with clones being created."

"Seems like a lot of trouble for Eggman to go through to make sure it was hackproof, even to himself."

"It was, but keep in mind that he's an arrogant man who never thought that anyone would find out about this."

"Fair enough. So how would we physically hack into his computers? I get that we would need to have to go down there, but how would we do it? It's not like we can take you to every station."

"Hmmmmmm…," Tails thought. Then he snapped his fingers. "Maybe we don't have to." He feverishly clicked on various buttons and brought up a blueprint for a small, handy device. Rouge knew what it was. "We can use this."

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

"This," Rouge started, "is the 'hackdrive.'"

"Okay… what's a hackdrive, and how's it going to help us?"

"It's a highly modified flashdrive I created for G.U.N. with every known form of hacking program known to Mobius," Tails said. "The drive itself looks no different from any other flashdrive, but the kicker is that when you put it in, the device would activate almost instantly to get through levels of firewalls and decryption to allow access into even the most powerful supercomputers. From there, it also transmits a signal directly to G.U.N.'s computers that would allow for instant access to international secrets. G.U.N. usually uses them on enemies' computers so that they can see everything from battle plans to, as I said before, international secrets, both glamorous and not-so-glamorous. All I would need is enough hackdrives to reprogram so they can link up with the shutdown codes that C has in her hard-drive."

"But you just said Eggman's computers were hackproof!" Sonic exclaimed.

"They are… from the outside," CREAM said. "But when you're in the station, the supercomputer at the station acts like a regular computer. If I'm to assume correctly as to what T is saying, he would integrate me into the 'hackdrives.' If someone were to insert a modified hackdrive into a station's onsite computer, I would, in theory, have access to the computer via the link that the hackdrive creates, which would grant me access to the supercomputer. With me 'in the system' so to speak, I could input the shutdown codes for that specific station. I could also allow access to that district's rail systems, and by extension, the other stations in that district. Now do you get it?"

"Technology was never my strong suit," Sonic said blandly. "I think I'll just take your word for it."

"The problem is that we would have to do this for every station, so we'd be looking at twenty hackdrives," Tails said. "I don't have many here. Hmmm… actually, I think I only have the one."

"That's not good," Sonic said, a little defeated.

"Rouge, does Rotor still have loads of them at Guardian Mountain?"

"Let me make a quick call," Rouge replied as she whipped out her phone and began dialing.

"Even if we begin shutting down the stations, Robotnik will know when we hit one," CREAM said in a worried tone. "That could very well cause him to panic and start the clone gathering early. Those robots would be told to be ready for anything."

"I think I might have an idea for that," Sonic said.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Let's say that I'm the one who goes from place-to-place inserting hackdrives and letting you shut them down. If there any robots down there, I could take them out before they have a chance to respond."

"S, it's not that simple. The robots don't send out the signal. While the doctor cannot influence the stations remotely, he can monitor their progress just like I can. If one shuts down, he'll know almost instantaneously."

"Okay… is there any way we could reprogram the computers to tell him that they're working fine when they really aren't?"

"Sadly, no."

"Which means we have to work fast," Amy said. "And S would be the best qualified to go to each location and shut them down."

Tails sighed. "I guess that's our only option then."

"Let's hold on for a second," CREAM said. "If we were to do it this way where S goes from one station to the next _and_ the doctor finds out, like I said earlier, he will most likely tell his robots to start moving the clones. As fast as S is, even he can't be in multiple places at once. And even if he were to shut down all 20 stations, odds are that Robotnik will have gotten some clones to the surface. From there, he could still do a lot of damage."

Sonic groaned. "Alright, so we need a little more coverage. But how could we do that?"

"You can leave that to me," Rouge said coming back into the conversation. "I just got off with the phone with Rotor, T. He still has hundreds of the hackdrives there. I'm going to swing by later and pick them up. Will you be able to reprogram 20 of them in a short amount of time?"

"Easily," Tails responded proudly.

"Good." Rouge then turned to Sonic. "And as for your 'coverage' problem, when I get this information to the Commander, I'm confident I'll be able to swing a scrambling that'll get hundreds if not thousands of G.U.N. agents and officers here to make sure that no clone gets out of this city. They'll lock down every entrance to the city."

"That's a lot of manpower. You sure you can swing that?"

"Yes," Rouge said with a smirk.

"Good to hear."

"Alright, guys? I'm headed out to grab those hackdrives. I'll be back by dinnertime," Rouge said as she left.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Oh, that'd be Sally," Amy said from her office. "I'll be back in a minute."

At that moment, Tails turned her office mic off. From the lab, they could see Amy and Miss Acorn talking about something.

"Are we good on the plan, Sonic?" Tails asked. "If we can get all this done and get it prepped, do you think we'll be okay?"

"I think we should, assuming you want me to run to every station."

"That's our best course of action," CREAM said. Sonic nodded, but something wasn't quite right with him. He looked a little unsure about something. "Something on your mind?"

"It's just that I kind of want more time to do this."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I want Eggman out of our hair for a little longer, if possible, while we deal with the clones. Maybe there's something we could do to distract him?"

"Hmm," Tails thought. "Not a bad idea if we need some insurance. Anyone have any ideas?"

Sonic turned around and thought about it for a moment. He looked at the screen and saw Sally and Amy still talking in Amy's office. The Rascal and the news reporter. Wait, that was it!

"I've got it!" He turned back to Tails. "The AMG!"

"What about them?"

"Bear with me a second. What if we were to give everything we have on Robotnik to the AMG?"

Tails's eyes went wild-eyed. "You're not seriously considering bringing them into this, are you?"

"Tails, hear me out. Firsly, CREAM wanted me to get this info to the AMG. Secondly, the AMG's the biggest and most trusted news channel in the city, right?" Tails nodded. "And people see Sally as the honest face of the company, right?" He nodded again. "What if we had Sally and the AMG report on _everything_ about the Sonic Project?" Tails was silent, listening to his friend's proposal. "What if we break this news at the same time as me going to all the cloning stations? That way, everyone starts breathing down Eggman's neck? He'll have to juggle handling me with the clones and robots _and_ all the heat from his crazy scheme! It might buy us some more time this way."

Tails sighed and thought it over. It wasn't a bad idea, and he was sure that the AMG would sign off on this kind of hard news, but they would still have to sell the story to the company in the first place.

"How can we convince them that all this is happening?"

Sonic looked away and pondered. "Well, Sally would obviously have to know about this, and so would her parents." He paused and thought it over some more. "I've already teased it to Sally and Khan, but as for everyone else, what if I were to reveal myself to Alicia and Max as well?"

"They already know who you are."

"They know that I call myself Sonic and that I'm wicked fast. But what if I were to reveal myself as their long-lost godson?"

 _That_ really caught Tails's attention. He smiled devilishly. "If you can swing that, then we've got a chance of making this happen. One problem. How're you going to reveal yourself to them? You can't exactly walk up to them and say, 'Hey, it's me, your dead godson!'"

He turned back to the screen where Sally and Amy were still talking. "I'll have to earn the right to talk to them, especially after that episode yesterday. And I know just the person who could let me talk to them. What's Amy's phone number again?"

* * *

"… It gets to the point where we have to get rid of this thing before management gets involved. And I didn't want my boss at the time to come over the walkie—probably shouldn't have said 'come,' but whatever—I didn't need my manager saying—!"

RING! RING!

"Sounds like you've got a call," Sally said.

"I'll continue the story later," Amy said as she went to the desk and answered the phone. "Amy Rose's office. Amy Rose speaking. … Oh, why're you calling me? This couldn't have waited until later? … Yes, I'm in the middle of something! … Why do you need—? … You're what?! Why? … Yeah, she's here. Hell, she's in the room with me." That sparked the chipmunk's curiosity. "Can you come ov—? For the love of… hold on, I'll ask." Amy held the end of the receiver and turned to Sally. "It's Shadow. He wants to know if he can come over and talk to you about something. He's says it's about that story he teased you about yesterday but couldn't go into detail."

The Acorn slowly nodded her head. "That's fine. We can just wait on lunch for a little while longer."

Amy nodded and uncovered the phone. "Yeah, she said it's fine. I'll meet you in the lobby. And bring Lupe a bouquet, would you?" Sally and Amy snickered as they heard the dial tone. "Haha, he hung up!"

"Sounds like Shadow's a little bothered."

"Oh, he knows I'm just messing with him. He'll be here in a few minutes, so I'll meet him in the lobby."

"I'll stay here and raid your emails."

"Some friend you are!" Amy jested as she left the room. After a quick ride down the elevator, the Rose hopped out and waited patiently at the big desk with crossed arms.

"Someone coming, _Rosa_?" Lupe asked.

"Shadow. Your boyfriend."

Lupe nearly jumped out of her seat. "Shadow's coming here?!" she asked frantically. She quickly got out the makeup and powdered her nose. Amy chuckled seeing her friend in such a panic. "How do I look?"

She looked fine, but Amy wasn't passing up this softball. "Do you want an honest answer?" Getting red in the face, Lupe threw her eyeliner stick at Amy, who easily caught it. She walked over and handed it back to the fuming wolf. "I think you dropped this."

" _Vete a la mierda!_ "

Shadow then walked into the room, walking toward the front desk. Lupe, predictably, scrambled around trying to make everything look good. Too late, as Shadow was already there, and she was looking mighty embarrassed, even though she and the desk looked fine.

"Lupe," he greeted.

"H-Hi…," she replied with a little wave.

"Lupe," Amy said. "Same drill as yesterday with Shadow."

"Uh, yes! Assuming he doesn't just run out like last time," Lupe said.

"Yeah," Shadow said bashfully. "Sorry 'bout that. Something… came up."

"That's putting it mildly," Amy jabbed. He ignored the comment and was given the guest pass.

"Thank you," Shadow said to Lupe.

"Anytime~," Lupe said with a wink. He rolled his eyes. The wolf didn't let that non-verbal gesture rain on her parade.

Shadow and Amy left for the elevators. "She's in the room waiting for you."

"Good," Sonic said lowly, back in his regular voice. The elevator dinged like the previous day and the two quickly made their way up.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

"I'm not telling her everything, Amy."

The Rose shot him a "say whaaaa?!" look. "Then why are you here?!"

"Just let me talk to her, okay?"

She rolled her eyes, but she said, "Alright."

DING!

The two exited the elevator and went into the office with Amy holding the door for him. There stood Sally at the open window, taking a deep breath as she surveyed Downtown. There wasn't nearly as much humidity this time around. The days leading up to today had been next to hellish.

"Sal?" Amy asked.

The chipmunk turned around with a smile. "Shadow. Nice to see you again."

He nodded. "Thanks for seeing me on such short notice. I really appreciate it."

"Considering the story pitch you gave me yesterday, I'm more than happy to talk with you, Shadow."

He nodded. "I really appreciate it, Sally. It means a lot. Before I talk about it, I want to apologize for making a scene the other day."

"Yeah, I heard about that from my ma and pa. They said you looked like you'd seen a ghost."

"That's… not completely wrong." Sally shot him a curious eyebrow. "Sally, if you and your parents would be willing, I would like the chance to explain my actions tomorrow night at dinner."

Sally was more than a little surprised by that offer. So was Amy. In fact, the Rose was looking at Shadow like he lost his goddamn mind.

"I'm… I'm flattered by the offer, Shadow, but I'm not sure that's necessary."

Shadow nodded and looked down at the Fluff. He pressed it. Sally was more thrown for a loop seeing Shadow's quills flop downward and his fur go to blu—. Her eyes shot up as she found out that Shadow was the cerulean speedster from the news. Green eyes, royal blue fur, and looking just as heroic and spectacular from the other night.

Amy was as stunned to see Sonic reveal himself. Neither lady expected this turn of events.

Sally groaned like she had done something stupid. She then cursed herself with a smile. "I should've known." She looked back up to him. "The Fluff should've been a dead giveaway." Sally then turned to Amy. "And _you_ have been holding out on me."

"I told Amy to keep this quiet, Sally," Sonic said in his normal voice as he got rid of the Air Shoes. "Don't blame her."

Sally nodded. "Alright, alright. You made a name for yourself, and poor Lupe's been fielding calls about you for a couple of days." She sighed and clasped her hands. "I… have more than a few questions for you."

"If I'm able to talk to your parents and apologize, you'll have everything. And make no mistake, this is the biggest story that this city will ever hear, and you will not be disappointed. Furious, yes, but not disappointed. Amy and Tails know about it too, and they know what's at stake."

Sally looked Amy for confirmation. "It's big, Sally. We even had to bring Rouge in for this."

Now back to Sonic. " _That_ big?" Sally asked half-heartedly.

"Bigger."

Sally nodded slowly, darting her eyes between the two of them. "Tell you what, Sonic. You bring Amy with you, and you've got a deal. My mom makes some killer Spagonian food."

"And I'll bring you everything we've got."

"Deal," Sally said as she offered her hand. He shook it. "If this is big as you say it is, would you mind if Khan is there with us?"

"You two will be breaking the biggest news story of your lives. I don't mind at all."

"Sounds good. Meet us at my parents' house tomorrow at 9. Hope that isn't too late for you."

He smirked. "Not at all."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I think we can all agree that Monday was something out of a nightmare. What we saw happen in Las Vegas was unspeakably horrible. Not to take away from the tragedy in Vegas, we also lost a truly iconic musician, and one of my personal favorites. To the 59 innocent people killed in Las Vegas and to the now late great Tom Petty, rest in peace. If you were affected by the Vegas tragedy, please accept my condolences. It wasn't a good day. In fact, it was anything but. However, it's how we rise from tragedies like this that shows us what we're truly made of.

But you didn't come here to talk about current events, so I'll get off that soapbox while I have the chance.

Another chapter needed purely for story progression, kind of like chapter 12. Weirdly enough, those chapters happened in the same laboratory. No, that wasn't intentional.

What Sonic does sets up for the next chapter, which as I promised last week, will be up later today. I really don't have much else to say about this chapter other than organizing how the cloning hubs worked and their appropriate networking was a pain in the ass. Seriously, I needed to read and re-read CREAM's exposition like 5 or 6 times to make sure I had it right and that it made sense. I won't put my review shout-outs here, but I will put them in the next one, which-like I said-will be uploaded shortly. Stay tuned!

As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	19. Back from the Dead

**CHAPTER XIX – BACK FROM THE DEAD**

 **WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29TH, 2016**

He could smell the rich scent of roasted garlic and toasted tomatoes from outside. They played with his head, rubbing in the fact that he couldn't chow down yet. Whatever the Alicia Acorn made, it smelled heavenly and probably would taste like it too.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Amy said as they got out of her Camaro and walked to the front door.

"I'm sure," he said in his ebony and red disguise. Sonic had to marvel at the sheer size of the Acorn's mansion. Red brick was the basis for the outer shell of the house with white windows and tan brick accents thrown in for good measure. It looked like something built in late 1800s or the early 1900s considering the design aesthetic. With an old-school looking house like this, it should have come as no surprise that the Acorns were the toast of Knothole.

It was Amy who knocked on the door and Sally that called for them to come in. Amy opened the door for Shadow, and he followed behind her. He looked around, and the mansion was just as retro-looking as the exterior. Glass chandeliers that hung in various rooms sealed the deal on what was a fine example of Victorian architecture.

Sally came out of the hall still wearing her blue attire from that night's newscast. "Welcome," she greeted.

"Thanks for having us, Sal," Amy said.

"My pleasure." Amy reached into her pocket and gave the chipmunk a flashdrive. "Is that what I think it is?"

"The whole story," Shadow said. "But trust me, we'll need to talk about in more detail later tonight."

"Can't say I'm surprised," she said optimistically.

"Sally, it's not good news. It's going to be really hard for you to swallow… and for your parents."

Sally nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm at the very least flattered that you're trusting me and Acorn Media for breaking the news."

"Come on, Sal," Khan said dressed in his grey-and-red news suit. He quickly kissed Sally on the cheek. "Don't leave the guests waiting at the door."

"Just talking some business first, babe," she replied.

"Business?" Then he looked down at the flashdrive. "And what business might that be?"

"Long story short, Khan," Amy began, "it'll make your career and Sally's, but we'll explain that later."

His curiosity was peeked. "Really? Any chance I can get a sneak-peak?"

"We'll talk about it later tonight."

"Sounds like a plan. Please follow me. Alicia made lasagna."

"We can smell it," Amy said as they followed the newscasters. The next room they went into was the dining room, and the steaming pan of lasagna was at the heart of the table with two dishes full of garlic bread at each end. The white plates and shining silverware brought a needed color contrast to the dark-wooded table. "Where are Alicia and Max?"

"Right here, Amy," Alicia said with a bottle of wine in her hands. Bollinger '61. Good year. Following Alicia was Max who saw Shadow and gave him an unimpressed look. Yes, he still remembered that little outburst in the Green Room.

Alicia set the bottle down and hugged Amy. She separated herself and then nodded to Shadow. "Hello again, Shadow."

"Good evening. Thank you for having us over." He still couldn't believe that she was his godmother.

"It's no problem." Alicia gestured to the table. "Shall we?"

They nodded and all took their seats sans Max, who cut up the lasagna into squares with a spatula. Everyone passed their plates to him, and he put a slab on. As he did this, he kept a watchful eye on Shadow. The black-and-red hedgehog's ears were pinned back in embarrassment.

"Max, stop that," Alicia said. He ignored her and continued. "Max!"

He turned to her. "I'm not doing anything!"

"I've heard more truth come out of a politician's mouth."

Yeesh, no one had even taken a bite of their food, and it was already getting tense at the table. Sally, Khan, and Amy all looked each other nervously. They knew that when you upset Max, he was not the most social of people.

Sally passed around Bollinger for everyone to get their wine fill. Only Shadow didn't take any. He had never taken a sip of alcohol, and despite the wine's pleasurable scent, he passed it along.

"Why didn't you pour yourself one, Shadow?" Alicia asked.

"I'm sorry, but I don't drink."

"What's the matter with this guy?" Max lowly asked. Too bad everyone heard that.

"Maximillian Frederick Acorn, that is enough! He is our guest!" Alicia screamed. She reverted to a sympathetic face and looked at Shadow. "I'm sorry. He's gets—."

"No, that's quite alright," Shadow defended. "I deserve it." Max was done serving and sat down, but not before Alicia stared him down furiously.

"Anyway…," Sally began, "dig in."

Man, that meal was too good. The meat sauce was perfectly prepared, and the ricotta cheese was made wonderfully. Alicia outdid herself. Great culinary skills aside, it didn't change the fact that the dinner was so silent you could hear a pin drop. The tension could still be felt thanks in large part to Max's antics.

Shadow cleared his throat and said, "If I may, I'd like to say something."

Max was about to say something _really_ smart, but Alicia darted her eyes at him and shook her head. She turned back to Shadow. "Please, go ahead."

He nodded and sighed. "Max, Alicia, firstly, this was an excellent meal. It was definitely a trip for my taste buds, and the garlic bread perfectly complemented it. Secondly, there's no excusing my actions yesterday at the AMG. It was very wrong to do that to you, especially since it came so abruptly. I'm sorry for making a scene when I was your guest."

Max raised an eyebrow and looked at Alicia and Sally. They both nodded. With a heavy sigh, Max said, "Apology accepted, Shadow." Shadow could feel that heavy weight come off his shoulders. "But why did you do it in the first place? And how did you know what our godson, Eli, looked like?"

"Maybe he saw a newspaper clipping?" Ken asked.

"No," Shadow said as he stood up. "It wasn't that. I have something to show you." He pressed the Fluff.

CLICK!

Just like earlier, Shadow went from black-and-red fur with red eyes to royal blue fur with green eyes. Ken, Max, and Alicia knew in a second who he was. He was the speedy guy. With his transformation complete, he set the Fluff down on the carpeted floor. Sally and Amy had seen this before, but not everyone else. They were equal parts surprised and stupefied.

"Sorry about that," Sonic said in his regular voice.

"What the hell?!" Max exclaimed. "Are you that Sonic guy Amy was talking about?"

"Indeed, I am," Sonic confirmed.

"What the hell are you doing here? And why in disguise?"

"Max, calm down."

The Acorn patriarch sighed. "I have so many questions."

Sonic chuckled. "Sally said the same thing earlier today."

"Wait, what?" Max said as he looked at his daughter.

"I revealed myself to Sally earlier. It's the reason she's not losing her mind like you are."

"Thanks, Sonic," Sally said in a deadpan, unapproving tone.

"A few moments ago, I gave Sally a flashdrive with the story that'll make your heads spin. I need you guys to broadcast what's on it tomorrow."

Sally then pulled it out a nook in her dress and showed it off. "What's the story about?" Alicia asked.

Sonic sighed. "Before… Before I get into that, I have to explain my actions from yesterday." The AMG owners both raised an eyebrow, but they were still willing to listen to Sonic. "I lost my cool in the green room because I… I made a pretty big realization. I…," he sighed and collected his thoughts. "Well, let's try this. I got my powers because of a science experiment. I've had them for 25 years now. And… it wasn't my own choice. It wasn't even my parents' decision. They had no power to stop it since I was taken away from them."

"That's horrible!" Alicia exclaimed.

"Alicia, I wasn't the only kid to abducted in '91."

Her eyes went from sad to stunned. In addition to her, Sally, Max, and Khan were all suddenly wide-eyed. If Sonic said _that_ , it meant only one thing.

"You're… not talking about the Baby Scare, are you?" Max asked. He nodded, earning a collective gasp from everyone sans Amy. "But that's impossible! None of the kids' bodies were ever recovered!"

"You're right. They weren't. All of 'em were abducted. Myself included. But… I remember the night it happened."

"You remember?" asked Max. He didn't sound very convinced. "I somehow doubt that."

Sonic took that one on the chin, but he didn't show it. "I was only eight days old. I remember it being very early in the morning. I remember my parents rushing around the house trying to get us all ready for a flight out of the city." Sonic glimpsed the look of fear in Alicia's eyes. "I was with my brother at the time in the crib." Sonic sighed. "Then the shit hit the fan."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Max said.

"Yeah, I did. Looked just like me too. But… I'm getting ahead of myself. Suddenly, the walls are breaking down around us. The robots sent to get me and my brother start tearing up the joint." He closed his eyes. "I can still hear the gunfire. My mom and dad were trying to protect us. At first, they were holding them off… until one of them got into the nursery." The Acorn girls gasped. "Dad was in the living room fighting for his life. Mom was trying to console and protect us. But a robot got in, and my mom shot it down. My brother and I fell out of the crib since the robot my mom killed hit the bed when it went down. Mom must've been hurting, because she crawled to us and held us in her arms." He paused to wipe away a tear. Everyone else was hanging on his every word. "Before we were taken away by the robots, and before she died, my mom told us one last thing, and it's been something that's haunted my dreams for years.

"She said, 'It's going to be alright, you two,'" he quoted as he bowed his head. "'Everything will be just fine. It may not seem like that now, but it will be. Daddy and I aren't going to make it out of here, boys. We just aren't. We won't be able to see your first steps, or listen to your first words, or watch you grow up, but I want you two to know this: we love you. Daddy loves you. I love you. We'll always love you. You boys are the greatest things to ever happen to us. I know you can't understand me, but I still can't say it enough. I don't know what'll happen to you, but I know you'll be okay. I know you'll make it. You two are young, but you are very strong. I know you'll be okay. I just know it.'" He paused. "She kissed us both and said, 'Eli, I love you. David, I love you.'" The Acorns shared the same expression. Pure shock. Those names. Those freaking names. This was not happening. This had to be a cruel joke. "'Daddy loves both of you, and so do I. Don't worry about us. Daddy and I will be just fine, okay? Be safe. Look after each other. I know you'll be fine.'" When he looked back up, the room was dead silent. The Acorns' faces were petrified in horror. Amy and Khan stared at Sonic with tearful eyes. Alicia began to sniffle. Max's face then turned sour. As he looked to Max and Alicia, Sonic said. "Those were my mom's last words to me—."

"Get out," Max said suddenly. Sonic was instantly silent as he saw Max's furious façade. Max rose from his seat, never breaking eye-contact. "Get the hell out of my house, you freak! How dare you play a sick joke in my house! Do you know who we are?! Do you know the hell we've been through?!"

"I understand it more than you'll ever know," Sonic said calmly.

"No. No, you don't, you sick bast—!"

Alicia and Sally immediately got up. "Max, shut the fuck up!" the Acorn girls said loudly and collectively. Max couldn't believe his ears.

The furious dad pointed to Sonic as he looked at his girls. "This man is—!"

SLAP!

Alicia's right hand drilled Max's mouth, earning a gasp from everyone in the room. Max reeled back and looked at Alicia. "What was that for?!"

"He looks just like Jules!" Alicia screamed.

"He could've had surgery!"

"He has Auntie Bernie's eyes!" Sally yelled.

"This slick bastard is _not_ David! I refuse to believe it!"

"Dad, for—!"

"David is _dead_! Same with Eli! This sadist isn't David!"

"Max, look at him, for Chaos's sake!" Alicia barked.

"He. Is. Not. David! He is not my godson!"

"Because you wouldn't dare hold your own godson in the hospital room shortly after he was born." The Acorns immediately stopped their heated argument and looked Sonic with wide eyes. "Max, I remember you and Alicia holding me and Eli. Same for Sally and Elias. Hell, you gave my dad a celebratory cigar which he smoked on the hospital's patio while you held me." The eerily specific description silenced the room. Max couldn't believe what he had just heard. Hell, that went doubly so for Alicia and Sally.

"How… How…," Max stuttered. "How do you know that?"

"Because I remember everything about my life before I got abducted. The day I was born, the day I was brought home, and the night my parents tried to skip town and save me and my brother. I had dreams of my mom's last words my whole life. I didn't have a clue what they meant until the moment you said that your old partners lost their twin sons, and you lost your godchildren."

The Acorns were mesmerized by his words. They hung on every one of them like he was some sort of messiah. Alicia couldn't hold back her tears and walked out of the room.

"It's… it's not—," Sally began.

"It's more than possible, Sally. It's the truth."

Alicia came back in, still red in the eyes. She had with her a binder that she set on the table and flipped through the pages, stopping on one polaroid in particular. Everyone but Sonic looked over, and they all viewed Bernadette looking like hell after birthing two sons. Jules was to her right. Max and Alicia were also in the shot with younger versions of Elias and Sally. In their mother's arms were Sonic and Green, who had opened eyes and sported inquisitive looks as they had curiously gawked at the camera.

Max and Alicia looked up at him. Wow, he really did look like Jules.

The Acorn patriarch was laboring through his breaths. "This can't be happening."

"Dad… yes, it is," Sally assured.

Alicia, while they had their side conversation, walked around the table and faced Sonic with tears running down her eyes. Green daggers, just like his mother. But to be sure this was really him, she slowly raised her right hand and cupped his cheek. She shuddered and smiled like she had seen the pearly gates of heaven.

"Is it really you, David?" she squeaked out.

"David Maurice Hedgehog. At. Your. Service." Chaos, he ego was shining.

She quickly dropped the hand and wrapped her arms around him, crying tears of joy into his chest. He slowly consoled her by placing a hand on her back.

"Y-Y-You're alive!"

Sally sat back down and cried happily to herself as Ken consoled her. Amy sat there with a beaming smile taking in all the joy that the night had brought.

Max, having finally coming to terms with it, walked to Alicia and Sonic. She stopped and looked at her husband, who had a guilty look on his face. He never liked admitting he was wrong, but he needed to admit it.

"I… I'm sorry," he said.

Sonic smiled. "Come here."

Max nodded and hugged his wife and godson fiercely. Talk about your family reunions. They let go of the young man after a few minutes and kept on quietly crying.

"Sonic?" Sally asked. "How did you survive?"

Everyone looked at him. Explaining this was going to be fun.

"And what about Eli?" Alicia asked. Sonic's ears dropped. That was all the answer she needed. "Oh…."

"He survived the testing with me, and we grew up together. But he died a couple of nights ago."

"'Testing?'" Ken asked. "What do you mean?"

"Max, Ali, take your seats, please." They nodded and did so. "The flashdrive I gave to Sally is nothing but extremely important information. I'll explain everything in a second, but I need you guys to broadcast this information tomorrow because something big and bad is about to happen. I need you and the AMG to showcase this. Tails is even creating the news script for you as we speak."

"Why?" Sally asked.

"Because it's vital to everyone's survival. I'm not talking just about Mobotropolis. It's bigger than that. I need it to run so that it can give me some time to stop it. And it _has_ to be tomorrow. We wait another day, and it'll game over for everyone. Can you do that?"

The Acorns and the monkey looked at each other. One-by-one, they all nodded. "You got it," Max said. "So, what's the problem?"

Sonic sighed. "It's like this…."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

You thought I was done pulling on your heartstrings. Ha! You were wrong!

In all seriousness, How would you react if a friend you thought was dead just came back to life? Uncharted 4 was an inspiration with this chapter, and I think that game did it perfectly. Oh, I'm sorry. Did I spoil the game for you? Too bad!

Like I said earlier, you got two chapters today because of how short this one is. It's the second-shortest to chapter 12, but only by 10 words. Ten. Words. Next week, we'll get back to the usual one-chapter-per-week mold. However, I can give you the timeline for the rest of upload dates. Ch. 20 - 10/12. Ch. 21 - 10/19. Ch. 22 & 23 (last 2 chapters) - 10/26. Don't give up on this story yet, because when we return, we begin the road to the climax!

Thanks to **MissMJS, IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE, Shadowcast214, FireSonic642,** and **Guest (twice)** for the reviews on , and thanks to **ercrawford** for reviewing on my deviantArt page. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	20. Let's Get Right into the News

**CHAPTER XX – LET'S GET RIGHT INTO THE NEWS**

 **THURSDAY, JUNE 30TH, 2016**

Balanced breakfast? Check. Hot cup of black coffee? Check. One red jacket that was one size too small? Got it.

He walked back into his office after standing on his balcony, taking in the sunrise. This was it. Today was the day that it would all begin.

"GOOD MORNING," one of his robots greeted as it entered the room with another cup of coffee.

"Are all vehicles of transport ready to go?" the doctor asked.

"THE FINAL PLANE WILL FLY INTO THE CITY IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. OTHERWISE, YES."

"And the shipping crates?"

"READY TO GO."

"The trolley system below the surface?"

"AS IF YOU NEEDED TO ASK."

He didn't like that answer too much as he threw his coffee at the mech. The shattered cup's contents raced down its metallic body.

"Listen, you stinking piece of sheet metal! Don't get cocky with me! Everything _has_ to be perfect today!"

"OKAY, I AM SORRY!"

"I'm sure you are. Now, get out of my office! And clean up this mess!"

* * *

Knuckles cracked? Check. Muscles stretched out? Check. Wrist grapples and contacts? Check and double check. Bag full of hack-tech USB drives? Check times 25.

"One last check," Sonic said as he looked at the screen. "R, are your G.U.N. forces ready?"

"We're all on standby, S," Rouge affirmed. "No one's getting out with us knowing."

"Good to hear. A, is the AMG ready to go?"

"Yes," Amy replied. "The news will break in 30 minutes. Sally and Khan have been hyping up the reveal like crazy all morning."

"Trust me, I've noticed." He then looked down at Tails, placing a hand on his shoulder as the fox worked diligently at his computer. "You ready?"

"I've been waiting _years_ for this," Tails said passionately.

"CREAM, what about you?"

"Indeed. Before you go, Sonic, if you look on your contacts' heads-up display, you'll see a mini-map of the city and its six neighborhoods. Red marks are the clone locations, yellow marks are the distribution hubs, and the cyan mark is you. When you enter a clone facility and enter its train tunnel system, I'll bring up that district's tunnel system."

"Sounds good." He turned back to Tails again. "Are we missing anything?"

"Not by my count," he said. "Alright, it's 9:33 a.m. right now. The newscast will begin at 10. You ready?"

"Born ready," Sonic said as he grabbed the bag and zipped out of the laboratory.

* * *

The newsroom was understandably tense. All of them knew what was going on next. Everyone was up-to-speed on the whole situation. This was going to make their careers. This was going to unravel one the biggest massacres in city and world history. And it was going down in mere minutes.

Amy sat on the edge of the news desk with a purple and lavender blouse. Sally was in a similar one, albeit in her trademark blue with baby blue white accents. Finally, Khan was in his usual black business suit with a red undershirt and yin-and-yang tie. Normally, people manning the cameras had to be cool, calm, and collected. They were not. Not by a longshot. Years of schooling and being on the air couldn't prepare them for this. Would their audience be stunned? No question. Would there be rioting in the streets later? Probably, but for everyone in the world, it was a risk that they needed to take.

The Rose cricked her neck and spine to the left and right, much to the ire and disgust of her compatriots.

"How can you do that and not break your neck?" Ken asked.

"It helps me ease the tension. It hurts for a second, but then it's just bliss."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Rose," he responded. "Is Sonic ready to go?"

"He should be on his way to the first one right now."

"I hope he'll be alright," Sally said with worry in her voice.

"If there's anyone that can do it, it's him," Amy affirmed. "Besides, we've seen what he can do. He'll handle it."

"Twenty minutes until showtime, everyone," said Max from behind the cameras.

* * *

" _A perfect day_ ," Sonic thought as he zipped around the neighborhood of North Res. Wherever he ran, he gave those fortunate to be around him a free, cool breeze. Running aside, he skidded to a stop as he reached his first destination in North Res's business district. Among the apartment complexes was a five-story building with a modern, almost futurey look to it. Compared to the brick apartments around it, this place stuck out like a sore thumb. His first destination was the quaint headquarter building of the McMilwaukee Company, a large, international food chain specializing in burgers that weirdly enough had its start as a tool manufacturer.

As Sonic got closer, he stopped and noticed some familiar robots, all in a row outside the building. The droids were constantly looking to the left and right as if they were looking for someone specifically.

"Uh, T? Looks like we got some company."

"Why?" From his end, Tails then saw what he meant. "Oh, lovely. Robotnik must've brought them out as extra security."

"Still shouldn't be a problem," Sonic replied with a cocky tone and smirk. With a quick rev, he let loose and blasted over the robots and into the bustling building. The fast food giant's lobby was filled with pictures of the kind of mouth-watering munchies that you would see in commercials, but never get in real life.

He quickly made his way to the elevators, and they were plenty busy. "Aw, shiiiiiiiii…. Which one takes me down?"

"None of them," CREAM said. "There should be a second set to your left."

Sure enough, there they were, and they weren't nearly as busy. As Sonic started making his way over there, people began to recognize him from the AMG's telecasts. A few women were giving him sultry looks while the other people sported Cheshire Cat smiles. It when they started making their way to him that he started to panic, although he didn't show it. "Not what I need today," Sonic thought out loud. He zipped past them to the other set of elevators and feverishly pressed the button. The people saw where he now was and began to flock to him. "Come on! Come on! Come on!"

DING!

He quickly got into the empty room and said, "Code, CREAM! And I need it now!"

"L-2-L-3-Door Close-Door Open-Door Close-Emergency Exit!"

He put in the sequence as fast as he heard it. "Please hurry up!"

DING! DING! DING!

"You've got it, Sonic!" CREAM exclaimed. And not a moment too soon as the doors closed on the group. With an exasperated sigh of relief, he slid down the back wall of the elevator and let out a chuckle.

"Just like the jocks back in high school," Tails said to no one in particular.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"Oh, right. You never went to high school. I'll enlighten you later."

DING!

The speedster got up let out a deep breath as the door opened. He ran out of the mobile room and down a short flight of stairs. At the end of it was where the many clones were. It looked a lot like the now-flooded room at the bottom of the oil rig. Beside the clones in their liquid-filled tubes, he saw the large entrance to the clone rail system on one wall and the giant computer on the other. And just like the rig, there were robots all over the place… and one spotted him.

"INTRUDER ALERT! ALERT THE DOC—!"

SMASH!

Sonic blasted into the poor, walking piece of metal, sending it flying into the wall where it crashed and began to spark. All the other robots looked his way. There wasn't any emotional conveyance on their part, but Sonic could guess what was going through their thought processors.

With lightning quickness, he zipped, blasted, and blew past every robot in the facility. Some were broken on impact. More went flying into pods, destroying clones in the process. Others were dismembered and had their arms used in a spin attack that wrecked their metal frames and bodies, kind of like how he broke all those other robots in his dreams.

When all was said and done, Sonic surveyed the carnage. Broken pods, destroyed robots, and a ruined lab. The computer was still intact, however.

"Next time when you destroy these guys," CREAM began, "make sure that you don't destroy the computer in the process."

"I didn't destroy it," Sonic replied as he walked up to the big piece of hardware. In the center of the keyboard lied a USB drive. Sonic reached into the bag and grabbed one. When inserted, the drive lit up. "Is there a connection?"

"In a sec…," Tails said, "Got it!"

The subtle whirring noise that Sonic heard in the room was slowing down. "Alright. Clones in this area have been neutralized," CREAM said. "They're going to drown, and they won't even know it."

"That's a dark way to go," Tails commented.

"They're bastards of nature," Sonic said without emotion. "What about the train door?" Right on cue, the shutter doors opened. "Much obliged."

"Hurry! Eggman may already know what's going on!"

Sonic zipped to the opening of the dark tunnel. In the bottom-right of his heads-up display, he could see the mini-map the contacts were giving him. His next destination was 4.8 miles away to the north down this tunnel.

* * *

Plenty of bustle around the offices today. Many a drug dealer were getting processed and getting another portion of narcotics to spread around town. In the precinct's large bullpen were many cops munching on donuts and sipping coffee as they idly talked about everything from Mobotropolis United to how much cash they racketeered that week. The large TVs in the room had sports and news channels on them as background noise.

Whenever Lien-Da needed to cut the tension, she would take some oil and clean her pistols. There was something therapeutic about taking them apart and putting them back together even better than before. The soothing thought of popping a bullet into somebody's grey matter tickled her fancy. The thought of popping one in Eggman gave her goosebumps. The thought of one going through Amy's head? _More than just pleasurable._

If it wasn't her pistols, it would've been her breaking out her whip and giving it a workout. The one time she did that in the office, however, it struck a parrot and permanently blinded the officer's left eye.

Because of her antics in recent days, she was in a lockdown of sorts. She was at risk of getting demoted from the doctor's ranks… or worse. That was why she needed to take the edge off.

When completed, she wiped off the excess gun oil and set the guns aside as she tuned back into what the TV was saying. Quelle surprise, she had not noticed that the channel had infomercial after infomercial playing like a broken record.

Lien-Da flipped through the boob tube's exports. Over 300 of them, and she still couldn't find anything to watch. SportsCenter? It wasn't even a sports show anymore. Disney Channel? It died the moment High School Musical ended. The AMG? She couldn't flip past that one fast enough.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Yeah, what is it?" the echidna asked.

The door opened behind her and in-stepped the lion officer whose arm was broken by Sonic at Central Park. "Lien-Da!" Roland Myers exclaimed. "We got a situation at Robotnik Enterprises!"

"What, did he reinvent sliced bread?" Lien-Da asked with a snarky attitude, not paying attention to his panicked voice.

"No! There's a riot outside the office, and it's getting heated! Haven't you been watching the AMG?!"

"Why on Chaos's Mobius would I watch _that_?" The officer grabbed the remote from Lien-Da's hand and flipped it to the AMG. "Hey!"

"Watch!"

Turning to the screen, he heard Amy say, "… He and his twin burned it down since the main function of the Eggman's 'Sonic Project' was to have the serum successfully bond to a child and then clone thousands of them to sell to his associates. Once enough clones are around the world, he would unleash his 'Eggmanland Protocol', which would make all clones obey him and him alone. With an army of Sonics, he'd have no problem taking down every form of world government."

Lien-Da furrowed an eyebrow. She turned back to the other officer and said, "Huh?"

"Eggman's the reason Sonic's around! He created the fucker! Now, he's got thousands of them, and he's going to take over the world!"

The echidna looked at him with an unimpressed look. "Lay off the painkillers, Roland."

"Lien-Da! Look who's reporting! It's Amy freaking Rose! I know you hate her, but when has she ever been wrong?! And ain't it a little convenient that this is gettin' reported and Eggman's office is the site of a riot?!"

The dominatrix didn't have an answer to that. She looked back at Amy's reporting, and the more facts that fell, the more the fire within her raged. "That son-of-a—!" She sprinted out of the office and hit the staircase in stride. In no time, she was up to the top level and burst into Thunderbolt's room. The chinchilla looked heartbroken as she stared blankly at her television. Lien-Da looked at the screen, and it was the same thing that was on the one in her office. The fire within the dominatrix was now an inferno as the woman she hated exposed the doctor more and more.

Lien-Da groaned and turned to Thunderbolt. "So… that's what he was hiding from us." The chinchilla was despondent, continuing to blankly stare at the screen. "Hey, Thunderbolt!"

"H-How could he do this?" the commissioner asked weakly.

"He's a manipulative prick who knows how to push our buttons. It's not rocket science."

"B-But… he's our friend!"

Lien-Da slammed her fists on the desk, making the commissioner jump. "He is no friend to us! He's an abusive, fat psychopath who herds us like sheep! And now he wants to do the same with everybody else!"

"But my suit—!"

"He made that so you could be his loyal bi—!"

SHOCK!

Thunderbolt didn't have her suit on, but she channeled the wiring within her and gave the echidna a hard shock that made her spaz out all over the carpet. Despite the hundreds of volts running through her system, Lien-Da somehow got back up and gritted her teeth.

"I'm not what you say I am! I'm loyal to him because he fixed me!" the chinchilla defended.

"And probably unscrewed something upstairs while he was at it! For Chaos's sake, 'Bolt! He's trying to take over the freaking planet!"

"He wants to save us!"

"He wants to _kill_ us! Didn't you hear Amy?! She said that Robotnik's Sonic clones'll take out and kill every known form of government official and anyone else who stands in their way! Last time I checked, that includes us!" Thunderbolt cried her eyes out as the harsh truth of her partner's words hit her heart. "You're as blindly loyal to Eggman like Harley Quinn is to the Joker! There _has_ to be something in you that knows I'm telling the truth!"

The commissioner took Lien-Da's words to heart and pondered them. The man who saved her. The man she pledged her devotion to for his deeds. The fear he instilled in her. The machine he made for her. The one whose verbal and physical strikes had silenced her.

As grateful to him as she was, at least in her mind, it was at its end.

"Y-Y-You're right," Thunderbolt said in a defeated tone.

"I know I am. If this is really who he is, and if this is what he's been planning, then the way I see it is that we should take him down before Sonic does. We've got the resources to do it."

"What do you mean?"

"Call him up. Tell him we heard about the riots outside the Enterprises building, and we're on our way to get him out of there. Oh, and grab your suit when we're done."

* * *

A bottle of finely aged brandy was on his mahogany desk. The liquid poured smoothly and went down smoother as he spun his seat around to look at the rest of the city. A wicked grin grew on his face as he took another sip. He was at peace. Eventually, so would his world.

SLAM!

The doctor turned around and cursed under his breath as a robot had burst through the door. "Ooooooooh, what do you want?!" he screamed. "Can't a man have a drink in peace?!"

"DOCTOR, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

The man's furious look grew fiercer as he stormed up to the robot and picked him up like a toy. "What. Do. You. Mean?!"

"ONE OF OUR CLONING FACILITIES IN NORTH RES HAS GONE DARK. IT HAS BEEN DEACTIVATED!"

He threw the robot across the room and through the open doors. With each step, you could swear that fire was coming from the bottoms of his boots. "How could this happen?!" Then it hit him. "That rat's going to ruin everything! Get that facility back online!"

"WE CANNOT! SOMEONE OR SOMETHING HAS LOCKED US OUT. WE ALSO CANNOT HACK DIRECTLY INTO IT BECAUSE OF YOUR ORIGINAL DESIGNS FOR THE FACILITIES." Eggman facepalmed himself and looked at the droid with death in his eyes. He knew that was his fault. Now he was paying the consequences. "WHAT SHOULD WE DO, DOCTOR?"

"Put all robots at all cloning locations on high alert, outside and in! The clones need to be moved now!"

"BUT SOME OF THEM ARE NOT MATURED Y—!"

"Did I ask for your opinion?! Do it! Or I'll smelt you down for everyone to see!"

Suddenly, another EggPawn raced into the room. "DOCTOR, TURN ON THE TELEVISION!"

The fat man groaned loudly. "What now?!"

He stormed into his room and went to desk, grabbing the remote.

CLICK!

"What's happening?" Eggman asked as he went back into his office.

"GO TO THE ACORN MEDIA GROUP CHANNEL."

He rubbed his temples with a loud sigh. "Oh, this ought to be good."

There it was, channel number 126, and when he heard the audio of Sally Acorn and Ken Khan, his day went from bad to worse.

"… We have received critical and damning information on the Baby Scare of 1991," Sally said. "Many people lost their lives, including that of two of the four founding members of the AMG back when it was the Mobotropolis Freedom Media Group. Bernadette and Jules Hedgehog were killed 25 years ago tomorrow because of the Baby Scare, and their twin sons, David and Eli, were abducted like all the toddlers during that time, never to be seen again… or so we thought.

"But we'll get to that soon enough. With Ken and me today is the lady who has been under the codename of 'the Rascal.' Yes, the same Rascal whose evidence has included drug deals with city leaders to the recent viral video of Sonic the Hedgehog mopping the floor with the Iron King. We have her in-studio today because she was the one to help unearth the tragedy which is undoubtedly the biggest conspiracy in city, and maybe world history. Amy Rose. Amy, thank you for joining us."

The camera switched angles to show the pink hedgehog. "Thank you for having me," Amy said.

"I knew it!" Eggman screamed. "I knew it was that pink brat!"

"DOCTOR, LISTEN!"

He glared at the EggPawn but went back to the telecast. "So," Ken began, "what can you tell us about the Baby Scare?"

"The Scare was a cover for a series of experiments by the criminal kingpin Eggman for the purpose of taking over the world."

"No!" the doctor screamed as his skin went pale.

"The Eggman?" Ken asked.

"Yes, Eggman. He was behind the whole massacre. He took the children away to an oil rig off the coast of the city that caught on fire a few nights ago. There, he experimented on the young children in an effort to get a test subject that would have the same speed and abilities as Sonic. But he couldn't get a positive result right away, and he needed to rework the formula so that the kids he kidnapped didn't die from the injections."

"Injections of what?"

"Injections of a serum that would make the person that survived it a supersonic soldier. Sonic and his twin brother were the only survivors of those children, although Sonic's brother, Green, died when they set the oil derrick ablaze."

"That's… awful, Amy," Sally said. "But why did he burn it down?"

"He and his twin burned it down since the main function of the Eggman's 'Sonic Project' was to have the serum successfully bond to a child and then clone thousands of them to sell to his associates. Once enough are around the world, he would unleash his 'Eggmanland Protocol', which would make all clones obey him and him alone. With an army of Sonics, he'd have no problem taking down every form of world government."

"This is not happening!" Robotnik screamed as he stared in disbelief. "This can't be real!"

"IT'S LIVE, SIR."

"And here's the thing," Amy said. "Thanks to my source, Sonic, we know the Eggman's identity."

That line made the doctor's heart drop ten stories.

"You know his identity?" Ken asked.

"You know it too. It's Dr. Ivo Robotnik."

His lower lip quivered at her words. The harsh reality was staring him in the face. He stood motionless for minutes as the television continued with its newscast. It was only when his phone began to ring like crazy that he snapped out of his trance and ran to the ringing machine.

"H-Hello?"

"I heard from Lien-Da that there's a crowd at your front door, doctor. What's going on?" He knew that voice. It was the only loyal chick he knew.

"Thunderbolt, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Do you need me to bring the helicopter?"

"Yes! Meet me at the roof in ten minutes."

"You got it."

She hung up, and he slammed the receiver into the desk, shattering it into many plastic pieces. He was ready to strangle the next poor, unfortunate soul that walked in.

He quickly turned back to the robots and said, "No one gets in or out of this building except for me!"

"WE UNDERSTAND."

"EGGMAN," another robot said as it came in. "WE ARE DOWN SIX CLONING FACILITES, AND WE ARE UNABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THEM."

"Tell all remaining robots to go ahead with the clone transferring. We need to move up our schedule!"

* * *

The large blast doors arose in the nick of time as he zoomed into the next facility. These robots, however, seemed more prepared than the others as they began to shoot wildly in every which way you can think of. But the speedy avenger was altogether too much, and another clone farm bit the dust.

"S!" CREAM exclaimed into Sonic's ears, making him grab them in pain.

"Could you speak a little louder next time?!" he shot back as he inserted the next hackdrive. "Okay, that's seven of them. Chaos, CREAM, what're trying to do?! Make me go deaf?!"

"S, from the other facilities you've knocked out, I just got an order from the doctor that the robots are to begin the clone distribution process now."

Sonic groaned. "Surprised it took him this long to find out," he replied as he blasted into the tunnel again.

"I have a live feed of the police scanner," Tails added. "It sounds like people are rioting around the Robotnik Enterprises Building as we speak."

"Interesti—."

BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Bright lights in a dark tunnel that just rounded the corner with a full head of steam. That was one _big_ train. No room to his left. None to his right. But there was one place he could go. Up.

By instinct, he stopped and flexed his wrist toward the ceiling, grappling up just before the train made him roadkill. As it rattled by on the tracks, he took a breath before grappling down slowly once it had passed. He watched the taillights go farther down the tunnel, letting out a nervous chuckle.

"Hehehe… train."

"You have to be more careful!" CREAM screamed.

"Stop screaming in my ear! That thing came out of nowhere! I didn't have much time to react!"

"But you're okay? And the hackdrives are still in one piece?" asked Tails.

"Yes." In the distance, he saw the shutter doors of the next facility open. "Now if everyone's done yelling at me, I've got a job to do."

* * *

"We are here, live, at the Robotnik Enterprises Building where it has been reported by our colleagues—."

"Channel 12, MNN. Breaking News! Robotnik Enterprises and RRC CEO, Dr. Iv—."

"… donde el supuesto cerebro de Mobotropolis Baby Scare está actualmente en. No hemos podido entrar en—."

"… The rioters are being suppressed at the moment by the MPD's Knothole SWAT Division, or what's left of it after an alleged attack at the Knothole Cemetery involving—."

The people down there wouldn't be able to stay outside for long, rioters or press corps. And for crying out loud, where were they? He'd been waiting outside for what seemed like an eternity—. Oh, thank Chaos! They were just rounding the Whitecliff Bank Building and starting to come in. The robots on the helipad, complete with lights, directed the chopper down. The commissioner, fully decked out in her big suit, was flying the machine. The moment it touched down, he booked it.

"I want constant updates on the facilities!" Robotnik screamed to his robots as he fled the building. The chinchilla opened the door, and he slipped in briskly. "Go! Go! Go!"

No need to tell her twice. The commish was airborne and fleeing the scene within seconds. And not a moment too soon as it looked like a few news 'copters were on their way to cover the story.

As the doctor watched the inbound choppers, he breathed out a sigh of relief. He turned to Thunderbolt and said, "Thank you." The heartbroken chinchilla looked directly into his eyes, tears filling them. He knew what that look meant. "I can explain."

CLICK!

The sound of a cocked sidearm from behind him caught his attention. In all the hubbub, he didn't look to see if there were any other passengers. He could guess who the gunman was.

"Hands! Up!" she ordered. He did so slowly, and still feeling guilty as hell.

"Lien-Da," he said squeamishly. He even laughed nervously, but Robotnik knew he was thigh-deep in shit. "You know?"

"You… You…! You bastard!" the echidna forced out, driving the pistol into his skull. "Do you realize that we have a good mind to throw you out of this whirlybird?!"

"Listen, ladies, I can explain!"

"Explain to me why I shouldn't pop you right here, right now!"

"Well, that would cause the cabin to decompress and kill—."

THWACK!

Her left hook came all the way around for a big swipe at his cheek. His skull ricocheted off the door with a lot of force. He rubbed his sore head and turned back to the ladies.

"We're not high enough for that, you goddamn psycho!" Lien-Da barked.

"Doctor… why?" Thunderbolt asked. "How could you do this to us? After all we've done for you?!"

"I can explain!"

"I'm hearing a lot of chatter and not a lot of explaining," Lien-Da said.

He knew he was in bind. His two most important lieutenants had him high above the city and were one shove or trigger pull away from making him see angels. Explaining everything would make them more volatile and dangerous. What he needed to do was talk his way out of this. Luckily, his most loyal disciple was flying the aircraft. He could see the look in her eyes that she was trying to cling to any hope that he wasn't behind all of it, that there was something still redeemable about him. He saw that hope in her crying eyes, and it was ripe for the picking.

"I can't explain now," he said calmly, angering the echidna. "What I can offer you, though, is a piece of my kingdom."

Their eyes lit up. It angered Lien-Da even more. Thunderbolt? That bit intrigued her.

"Sounds like an empty promise from a fallen king, if you ask me," Lien-Da said.

"I assure you two that it's not." He then turned to Thunderbolt. "Thunderbolt, you don't think of me as a bad guy, do you?"

"'Bolt," Lien-Da said turning to the pilot, "don't listen to this scumbag."

"Oh, no," Eggman said. "I am not joking about this. How would you like to rule with me? I'm sure that you can govern a couple of stupid people with an iron fist."

"Blow it out your—!"

"Really?" Lien-Da nearly popped Thunderbolt for how hopeful she sounded. "You would do that?" Hook, line, and sinker.

The echidna turned to the chinchilla and screamed, "Don't listen to him! He'll stab you in the back!"

"But he said—."

"He said a bunch of BS, and you know it! He would sell you out for pocket change and dryer lint!"

"Thunderbolt," he said softly, "You know I would never do that to you. You're my number one lady." Lien-Da didn't like the sound of his tone, and she retrained the pistol to his head. "Thunderbolt, listen. I'm giving you and Lien-Da the greatest opportunity known to man. Being the person with all the power. It's what you've always wanted, right?"

"R-Right." Lien-Da knew that enchanted look, and she knew she was in a lot of trouble.

"And you would do _anything_ for the person that saved you and made you the woman you are today?"

"Ri-Ri—."

The gun went from Eggman's head back to Thunderbolt's. "Don't… listen to him! He's trying to wind you up! He's using you!"

"What's it going to be, _Queen_ Thunderbolt?"

The gun switched targets again. "Don't say another word, you sack of—!"

Thunderbolt swung one hand wide and knocked the gun away as Lien-Da crashed hard onto the seat. Eggman quickly grabbed it as the echidna came to, and Thunderbolt sent hundreds of volts through her partner's system.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Thunderbolt, enough!" She stopped at her master's command, allowing the echidna a breather as she twitched involuntarily in pain. Lien-Da looked at the two with utter hatred. "Good girl," he said turning to the commissioner. He then focused back on the echidna. "Last chance, Lien-Da. Join up with me, and you'll rule with me." He chuckled. "Hell, I'll even deliver you your favorite Rascal as a peace offering. Does that sound fair to you?"

She looked at Thunderbolt and then to Robotnik. He had the gun and now the pilot at his mercy. She groaned in agony and looked at the doctor. With defeat in her voice, she said, "At least I get to kill Amy."

* * *

This one was going to be a little more difficult than the rest. The large locomotive was already docked and getting loaded. There wasn't any room to the side to get into the next facility. However, he could make out a crack of light at the top of the train. That was his way in.

Once more, he flicked his wrists, and the grapple grabbed the top of the train, zipping him on top. With a quick slide and another grapple on the room's ceiling to swing in like Tarzan, he kicked one unsuspecting robot into a few pods at a breakneck speed, killing the clones instantly and sending fluid onto the floor. The 'bots that charged him slid on the fluid, and he did too when he blasted around the room. Unlike them, he was trained to deal with this and used the fluid to his advantage. Like a big, blue bowling ball on a waxed lane, robots crashed into glass and clones like pins. He spun at just the right angle to shatter every piece of glass he could see. When the dust had settled, the pavement held a repulsive cocktail of fluid, clone blood, and robotic oil. It stunk up the room in a horrible scent.

"Great," he said to himself. This would make 15.

"Hurry up, S," CREAM said. "The last district of facilities in the south has been going at full capacity for some time now. They may have already gotten some of the clones to the surface."

"Understood," he groaned as he plugged the next USB drive in.

* * *

The lone wolf guzzled down her coffee without knowing as she couldn't take her eyes off the newscast. Like the viewing audience across the city, this was her first exposure to this hard news. More than once she had turned back to the portrait of the Hedgehogs that hung over her every single day. It was horrible that they had to die for this. She still remembered the day Alicia and Max broke the news to everyone and how her mother cried. Auntie Bernie and Uncle Jules dead along with their newborn sons.

She paid no mind to the door opening, not to mention the phone calls that were flooding in about the breaking news. The other news networks were going to get their stories soon enough. Even a few of the other city-known press corps had begun to invade the exterior of the building. The other networks would get briefed after the report was completed. But one person had managed to sneak through them and enter the building.

"Lupe!" the cop barked. Jolting her from her thoughts, the wolf was greeted by a shady SWAT leader with an uncomfortably smug grin.

"Lien-Da," Lupe responded. "If you're wanting an official statement, then you can join the others outside. Now, get out and get a good seat."

"Oh, I know all about what the doctor's done."

That didn't resonate well with Lupe at all. The echidna seemed a little too smug when saying it. "So why are you here then?"

The echidna chuckled.

* * *

"The most infamous cold case in Mobotropolis has been cracked, folks. And now an update from a few of our fellow news networks. The police have been called in to deal with a riot that has formed at the Robotnik Enterprises Building in Knothole. It seems that the people are not very happy with what the doctor has done. And who could blame them? But this is not the time for violence and murder, people. We do not condone either. This is the time for the police to handle things from here on out. Trust us, Robotnik will not be able to leave the city. Agents of G.U.N. are stationed across town. He will not get out of this without getting the punishment that he has coming to him. For the safety of the city as well as yourself, please do not participate in the riots. We will get through this, and the Eggman will be punished to the fullest extent of the law." Sally's face softened. "Those are the words that we and everyone at the Acorn Media Group can be sure of. I would like to thank Amy Rose—the Rascal—for making her first official appearance on the show today. Thank you, Miss Rose."

Amy nodded. "Glad I could help uncover this and enlighten everyone."

Sally smiled and went back to the camera. "That's it for our special report. Please stay tuned to the AMG for more updates. Until we have more, good day, Mobotropolis."

"And cut!" Max exclaimed as he congratulated the hosts. "The ratings for this are through the roof! I saw what's going on downstairs, and the press corps is ready to break down the door to hear from us!"

"I don't know if I'd consider that a good thing," Khan said in an unsure tone.

Just then, Max's cellphone began to ring. It was the front desk. "Hey, Lupe. We'll be down—." Then he abruptly stopped and sported an inconvenienced face. He darted his eyes toward Amy and then back to the phone. "Oh, wonderful. She'll be right there." He threw it back in his pocket and looked at the now curious news team. "Amy, Lien-Da's here for you, and it's urgent."

"For the love—! Can't it—?"

"Amy, we all hate her. Can you please handle it?"

"Ugh… fine," Amy replied as she walked briskly through the doors, wanting this to be done and over with as soon as possible. "What does she want now?"

She got her answer in the worst way imaginable as she walked out of the elevator and turned into the lobby. Amy's eyes widened in shock as she saw her friend crying her soul out and panting like nothing else. But why was she like this? People will often break down whenever a psychotic witch has her arm forcefully around their neck and a gun to their skull.

"By the look on your face, I'm guessing you weren't expecting this."

A rage built up quickly inside of Amy, and she spat out, "What are you doing to her?!"

The SWAT leader chuckled. "This wasn't my idea of getting to you, Rose," Lien-Da said. "But my hands are tied." Her grip around Lupe's throat tightened, and her pistol was now aimed at Amy. The Rose should've been scared, but she more pissed off than ever before. Not to mention that the press outside was eating this up. "I'm going to make this simple for you, Rose. Come with me, and your friend will keep her head."

"Amy, she'll kill—!" Lupe then got a harsh reminder to be quiet. The pistol was slammed into head, making her cry more. Lien-Da turned back to the now enraged Amy as she had taken a few steps closer to her.

"Why are you doing this?!" Amy yelled. "You should be arresting Eggman, not putting up a hostage!"

"I'm not here because I want to be, you idiot! I'm here to collect you and give a message to Sonic."

She knew what that meant. "You're still loyal to Eggman?! Even after what he's done?!"

She fired a warning shot into the ceiling and quickly pointed it back to Lupe. "I won't ask you again to come with me, Rose! Now get over here!"

With no options, Amy sighed and began walking. Lien-Da and her prisoner did the same before meeting face-to-face. "Good girl," Lien-Da taunted. In one move, she hit Lupe upside the head again the threw her and a cellphone down. Amy tried to rush to her friend's aid, but she was hit in the back of the head by the same gun. Landing hard on the ground, the echidna forcefully stood Amy up and put the gun to her skull. She began to lead the hedgehog out as she said back to Lupe, "There's one number in the 'contacts' list. Get Sonic over here and make him call it. And tell him to hurry it up!"

Luckily, Lupe wasn't the only one who heard those instructions.

Reaching the door, Lien-Da kicked it open and ran with Amy in tow to a police car that had just rolled up. The press was filming the whole thing. One reporter tried to get a question in, but Lien-Da popped off a round into the mouse's arm. It made the press scatter, giving them the chance to make their getaway.

The echidna opened the back door and threw the hedgehog into it forcefully. Lien-Da then hopped in the shotgun seat and told Thunderbolt, "Go!"

* * *

What could they do now? This was an unforeseeable occurrence, and it made everything they were working toward more troubling.

With tears in his eyes, the fox bowed his head and fiercely grabbed his hair. He shook violently as his worst fears had been realized once again. "Not again!" he weakly forced out. His broken voice dashed CREAM's spirits. She found out what he had been through, and she couldn't help but feel for him in his hour of need.

"Tails…," she said. "What do we do now?" His silence spoke volumes. He didn't know what to say. "Tails, we have to think of something! Without us, Amy will die!"

Die.

That was the trigger word that sent him into a fierce anger. She saw his face and how emotionally violent it was. With his teeth clenched and grinding, he said, "I've been losing family my whole life." He slammed his fists onto the computer. "But not today." He took in deep breath and calmly said, "Get Sonic on the line."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Finally some real action! And of course I leave it on a cliffhanger. Gotta say, that was downright evil what Eggman did to Thunderbolt. You wanna talk about putty in one's hands...

Other than that, I really don't have anything else for you. Yes, Amy being a damsel-in-distress is nothing new, but at least she's redeemed in the fact that she took her friend's place. That said, how's Sonic going to react when he finds out? If the other chapters are any indication, it's not going to be well-received.

Just a reminder that chapter 21 will be up next Thursday, and then the final two chapters will uploaded the Thursday after. We're nearly there, people!

Thanks to **MissMJS, IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE, SpeedsMyGame, & FireSonic642 **for the reviews. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	21. Sparks Fly

**CHAPTER XXI – SPARKS FLY**

His last stop. He was right underneath the La Puerta Construction Company in South Res.

He cursed himself that the train was already leaving the station. Full of clones, it was headed for the Boat District's hub at the city docks. But if he was quick enough, it wouldn't get that far.

This was the quadrant that he most worried about. This was the last one he came to, and that meant it would have had the most time to distribute clones. With that in mind, they were all going to one place, so it'd hopefully be easy to find them and destroy them. Hopefully.

Before the final facility's shutter doors came down, he leaped in and resumed his 'bot-smashing. Oil, scrap, liquid, and glass went flying as the final facility was getting decimated. " _And it couldn't happen to a nicer group_ ," Sonic thought.

With one last spin dash, the last robot was sent crashing into the wall, destroying it on impact. With six hackdrives still with him, and five to spare, he sped to the last computer and inserted the drive. With it powering down, Sonic could finally relax for the time being, although he knew this ordeal was far from over. Baby steps.

"A lot of clones down, still a bunch to go."

"Sonic, we have a problem," Tails said sternly into the hero's ear. Big Blue took note of how the fox's voice was riddled with anger.

As Sonic groaned, he responded, "What now?"

"Lien-Da's got Amy. She took her from the AMG."

He stopped midway between him and the elevator. His eyes shot wide open at that line. "What?!"

"Lien-Da had Lupe the Wolf up at gunpoint. It was either her or Lupe, and you can guess what Amy chose." Sonic also noted how his voice went from serious to broken in no time flat. It made him sympathize with his friend.

Trying to take the high road and not lose his Sugar Honey Iced Tea, Sonic sighed heavily and bowed his head with regret. He cursed Amy for giving herself up, but he had to respect that she was willing to sacrifice herself for her friend. He would have done the same thing.

"Do we know where she is?"

"I don't know, but Lien-Da said there's a phone for you waiting at the AMG Building. She said you need to call the number on it."

Sonic restarted his walk toward the elevator. "I'm headed there now. I'll get her back, T. You have my word. Just try and keep a level head about this, okay?"

"I'll try."

"CREAM, were the robots able to ship out any of the clones? We gotta make a plan if some of them were able to get out."

"Each of the clones has a GPS in their brains. Eggman put them in so he could track each of the clones."

"But can you find them?"

"Give me a minute or two."

"That's all I needed to hear," Sonic said as he pushed the button for the lobby. As it went back to the surface, Sonic slammed his fist into the wall, making a dent. He screamed as he thought about how he couldn't keep her safe. Amy could take care of herself, but he still hated himself for not being there. And it just had to be Lien-Da that took her.

As he rode the elevator up, the only thing he could think about was how he was going to make that echidna hurt for doing this. He was ready to risk his life for Amy. He gave the SWAT commander a firm warning and beat-down to match. When he'd get his hands on Lien-Da… if she even thought about hurting Amy… that damn echidna was going to wish she was in hell if it meant getting away from Sonic's wrath.

The doors opened, and he blasted out of the building and into the worst part of town. He didn't have time to take in the rotting buildings, gangs, and graffiti. He charged onto Interstate 95 northbound and made a beeline for the AMG. When in his sights, he jumped off the road and onto the neighborhood's rooftops. With the grace of a parkour master, he seemed to glide off the windows and buildings, stopping on a dime when he got to his destination.

The smaller group of press was here when the big news broke, but now every media outlet from here to Station Square had invaded the site. The MPD had been brought in to keep the small army away from the building. Chaos knew they were having a long day. Cameras flashed feverishly, and news anchors reported on the spot. With all this commotion, Sonic easily raced into the AMG Building and found Lupe who was being comforted by an officer and the AMG's news team.

"Ma'am," the male husky began, "I can't help you if you don't give me the phone."

"She told me to give it to Sonic!" Lupe defended, holding onto the cellular device for dear life.

"Miss Wolf, this is a police investigation. And do you know how many officers Sonic has put in the hospital?"

"Can't say you guys didn't have it comin'," Sally remarked. "And for the last time—!"

"Hey!" Sonic said loudly. The wolf and news team lit up when they heard his voice. Lupe ran over to him, crying her soul out as his shoulder caught her tears. He tried his best to hold the grieving canine.

"They took her! You have to—!

"Lupe, I'm going to find her," Sonic sternly affirmed. "Where's the phone?"

She nodded as the tears still rolled down her face. As she offered the phone, the cop swiped it.

"Thank you, Miss Wolf!" the cop said.

"Hey, that's for—!"

Monkey Khan didn't need to finish that statement as Sonic swiftly and aggressively grabbed the cop's wrist, making him drop the phone.

"Get your paws off me!" the officer demanded. In one move, Sonic grabbed him by his shirt and held him up with both arms. The husky immediately regretted his decision when he locked eyes with the speedy hero and saw the fire inside of them.

"Piss off and feed your face at a donut shop." Sonic then dropped him like a ton of bricks, and he landed with a THUD!

The officer began to draw his weapon, but Sonic's deathly stare was enough to make him think twice about it. He knew what the hedgehog could do. He saw the carnage he had wrought on that SWAT team.

"Okay, fine," the husky said defensively as he holstered the pistol.

Sonic grabbed the phone.

"S," Tails said, "Bring that back to the lab. R just got in. Call him when you get here."

"Understood," he said lowly. Before heading out, he turned back to the shocked wolf. Before any of them could speak, Sonic said, "I'll get her back. I promise." On that, he walked out of the building and zoomed back to North Res.

* * *

The car came to a sudden stop. Without warning, her head slammed into the seat in front of her, stunning her for a moment. When she got her bearings, the door beside her swung open, and a metallic arm grabbed and ripped her out of the automobile.

"Watch it!" Amy barked as Thunderbolt led her into a large hangar, passing by a police helicopter on the way there. "How the hell are both of you still running errands for Eggman when you know what he's done?!"

"It ain't that simple," Lien-Da said as they led her in. "The doc needs to talk with you and Sonic."

* * *

The secret door to the lab couldn't open fast enough. When he had just enough of an opening, he hurried down the stairs and skidded to a stop at Tails's workbench. Rouge, Tails, and CREAM all saw the hero slam his hand hard onto the bench as he spewed out horrible obscenities. His lashing out was what all of them were feeling at that moment. With one more slam, he felt something hurt on the side of his hand.

"Sonic, we're all pissed off," Rouge spat. "Enough with the goddamn tantrum!"

"I should've been there, Rouge," he stated fiercely. "I could've—!"

"There wasn't anything any of us could've done! All that's left is what we can still do."

He groaned out a loud and painful sigh. "You're right."

"I know I am. Now stop acting like a fucking brat. They left you a phone, so use it." Sonic turned back to the group and walked toward them, still as intense as ever. "And put it on speaker phone. Tails, see if you can track the call."

"On it," the fox said as he clicked away.

"It's dialing," Sonic said as the group waited after a couple of tones. "Come on… come on! Pick up!"

Ask and thou shalt receive, Sonic.

"Well, it's about time you called, Sonic." The fat man's arrogant tone made Sonic's skin crawl. "I was wondering if you really were goi—."

"Shut up," Sonic snapped.

"Testy, are we?"

"I got a damn good reason to be. Where is she?"

"Oh, she's… around."

"Where. Is. She?!"

"Settle down, would you? Or will you be a sourpuss for the entirety of this call?"

Tails grabbed Sonic's arm the moment he was about to talk back. It took one look from the fox to tell his fast acquaintance to drop it. Groaning because he knew his friend was right, he replied, "Fine."

"Good boy. Now, you've been a pain in my side for some time now, boy. You took something of mine, I took something of yours."

"I don't know why you're gloating. I just took out thousands of your clones." The Egg's growl was music to Sonic's ears.

"Fair enough, I suppose."

"Where's Amy?"

"If you want your snooping friend, you will come alone to the docks at 11 o'clock tonight. I have no doubts that your friends are listening in on this call as well." Sonic groaned. He hated how this guy was putting his IQ of 300 to good use. "I want you and only you tonight. No backup, no G.U.N. agents, no cops, no nothing. If they come, I'll kill the pink nuisance. Capiche?"

"I got it, but the whole southeast part of the city has a dock."

"A couple of my friends will meet you at Port 69. See you tonight, Sonic." As he hung up, Sonic turned to the computer where CREAM had been running the call-tracking software.

"I can confirm that he's there now," CREAM said. "And satellite imagery shows that there's a police helicopter near that entrance at an adjacent hangar. We've got footage of Lien-Da, Thunderbolt, and Eggman all getting out of it."

"What about the clones?"

"Tails and I were able to track them all. Of the 10,000 remaining clones at the beginning of the day, 9,850 have been either trapped in trains and hubs under the city or were destroyed."

"Meaning we've got 150 clones unaccounted for," Rouge said.

"Still enough to cause us real problems," Sonic stated.

"The good news," Tails began, "is that the remaining clones are in one spot. Port 69 of the Mobotropolis Docks." The fox went to the computer and pulled up a map of Tampa Bay where a locater had been marked with a red dot. "The bay's southern-most tip is where Port 69 is. It's to the south of where you beat the Iron King."

"I also found a large ship docked at Port 67," CREAM added. "According to the Mobotropolis Docks System mainframe, that ship got in today and is being unloaded now. It's scheduled to get reloaded around 11 p.m. tonight at Port 69. Not only is that the place where the clones were supposed to get shipped from, but this is the ship that Robotnik was going to use to get them to the people that bought clones."

"Oh, I'm sure they're going to _love_ hearing what Eggman was going to do with the clones," Rouge said cunningly.

"If they don't already know."

"Okay, let's back up," Sonic said. "We know where they all are, but we still can't allow Robotnik to escape with the clones. Hell, we can't let him leave the harbor. How are we going to keep him here?"

"We'll need to come up with a plan to trap him," Tails stated. "But we can't have G.U.N. come, or Amy'll get killed."

"Does anyone have any ideas?"

As the group thought collectively, a light bulb appeared over Rouge's head. "I got one!" They all turned to listen to her. "The Station Square Navy Yard is hosting an event showing off two brand new stealth submarines. No matter what their depth is, they'll remain undetectable to sonar. They come fully loaded with weapons. In short, an enemy's worst nightmare."

"We don't need to declare war on the city, Rouge," Tails said.

"I know, but it can surface faster than any sub we currently have in the U.F. Navy. If he tries to book it, we surface them and keep him in the city."

"But they're in Station Square," Sonic said. "Can you get them here in time?"

"S.S. is only two hours away if you drive. It's noon right now. So yeah, we can get them here with time to kill."

The hedgehog smirked and nodded his head. "Do it."

* * *

There was a bell that was ready to toll at any second. The homeless in the alleyways would be covering their ears when the local church's brass bell would start ringing 11 times in quick succession. No doubt that the church was a symbol of hope in the worst part of town. Port 69 was right on the border of South Res and the Industrial District, and as a result, saw a lot of crime happen over the years. Tonight was no exception.

The streets had a couple of empty, parked cars, but otherwise, it was calm. Sonic peered out over the street on top of some abandoned business overlooking the port. The entrance was down there, and there were a couple of robots there to greet him.

"Are we all in position?" he asked.

"T and I are ready, S," CREAM said.

"The cavalry and I are at the lighthouse now," R responded.

"Alright." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "This is it, doctor. No more running. No more death. This ends tonight."

He leaped off and grappled onto a street light, breaking his fall. He let go and landed on one knee in front of a couple of startled robots. He looked up and gave them a hard stare. Their weapons were trained on him, but they let down their guard when they saw his face. Sonic then got up and placed his arms up in a surrendering position.

"I have an 11 o'clock appointment. The doctor is expecting me."

"COME THIS WAY."

He obeyed and followed one of the droids in. The other was behind Sonic, not once letting Sonic get out of its sight.

Near the coast was a large crane similar to the one he saw the other night. It was being controlled by another robot. There were a few metal crates ready for loading. Sonic quietly muttered, "D.V. on," to activate his lenses' Detection Vision. With it triggered, he saw through the metal crates and located the missing 150 clones. All of them were inside of the crates, 50 in each one and three crates in total.

"There's the rest of them," CREAM said into his earbud. "I'm surprised he hasn't loaded them already."

Sonic felt the muzzle of a gun get shoved into his back. "KEEP WALKING," the drone said. Sonic didn't realize he was staring a little too long at the clones.

"Alright, I'm walking." He then whispered, "D.V. off."

The large, steel building had a couple of robotic guards around it, and they opened the door for the small party when they arrived. Despite the other people in the building, the inside was very vacant. It was a standard plus-sized hangar that was decently lit, had a few water taps in each of the four corners, and had a hook and chain setup hanging down on the far side. Also on that far side was Robotnik, who had just turned around and sneered at the speedster when he heard him walk his way. There was somebody tied to a stainless, steel slab behind him—Sonic could take an educated guess as to who was tied up there—as well as Lien-Da and Thunderbolt in her robotic suit.

"Nice of you to join us, Sonic," the doctor mocked. "And just in time."

"I don't like to keep people waiting," the speedster sarcastically shot back. He was able to look around the fat man and see the person who was tied up on the slab. She looked okay, so that was a relief. "Are you okay, Amy?"

The lady looked up and sighed. "You shouldn't have come, Sonic."

"Oh, spare us the cliché, Miss Rose," Eggman groaned.

"'Cliché?' You took me hostage and tied me up! Pfft. You're a hypocrite."

He ignored the comment and said, "Okay, my robots, lead him to the chain."

The aforementioned chain had a hook on it and was lowered down by the police commissioner. Sonic was more than a little put off by how creepily Thunderbolt was smiling and enjoying herself. She needed a straitjacket like flowers needed dirt.

Eggman then motioned to Lien-Da who came out with a pair of handcuffs. "Kinky stuff, doctor," Sonic jested.

"Laugh while you can. Lien-Da, if you would be so kind as to chain Sonic's hands and ankles together."

"Whatever," the echidna spat. She did it anyway with Sonic going along with it. Sonic figured if he made one wrong move, it was curtains for Amy.

When she was done, Lien-Da grabbed the chain as the robots shoved him down. Groaning, he looked up at the echidna who was hooking the two chains together. Thunderbolt then pressed another button that raised him up slowly. Stopped and suspended in the air with seemingly no way out, Dr. Robotnik chuckled and took this moment to ball up his fist and nail Sonic in the cheek.

"That was for everything you've done to me," the man spat.

"Oh, hit me harder, _daddy!_ " Sonic jested again.

Be careful what you ask for.

Eggman honored the wish and poked both Sonic's eyes out. He moaned in agony and screamed, "That was cheap, even for you!"

"Lien-Da? Thunderbolt? Make sure that they don't do anything rash. If they try, you know what to do. When we're loaded up, you can come aboard the ship." As he said this, he gave Thunderbolt the shackle keys. She put them on her belt.

"What should we do with them if they try anything?"

"Use your imagination," he responded as the robots followed him out.

Just the four of them, now. Sonic saw a wicked eye in the commissioner. Her menacing smile inched closer to Sonic until she and he were within inches of each other.

He swallowed his disgust for the fat rodent and sported a cheesy smile. "Hi. Sonic the Hedgehog. Nice to meet your acquaintance. And lemme tell you something: your teeth are disgusting."

She took offense to that and backed away. Thunderbolt's face looked like he had just kicked her puppy. Yeesh, what a drama queen. "I don't have bad teeth," the commissioner defended.

"Yes, you do. How often do you brush? Once every dentist visit?"

"What do you know about teeth?!" she barked.

"I know mine are better than yours, you fat slob." Gentlemen, don't _ever_ say that to a lady. EVER.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

"Yeah, you're fat! Easily as fat as Eggman! That's why your teeth look like cheddar cheese! Did you just eat some? Can I have a block of cheddar?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Wait, I know! You're so fat, I'll start calling you 'Egglady!'"

"I AM NOT FAT!"

"Yeah, you are Egglady! You're so fat that you'll need to be buried doublewide!"

Thunderbolt doubled up a metallic fist, but she was stopped by Lien-Da. "Let me lay into this slick sumb—!"

"I want to hurt him too, but don't you see what he's—?!

"He's making me feel small inside!"

"Oh, I can assure you, Thunder _chunk_ , you are not small!" Sonic sneered.

"Stay out of this!" Lien-Da yelled at him before turning back to the commissioner.

Sonic then turned to Amy, who was watching him with wide eyes the entire time. He slyly winked at her. " _What's with the wink?!_ " she thought. _"Is he hitting on me?! He chose to do this—?_ " Then it hit her. He nodded when he saw that she got it.

"… and I want him dead!" Thunderbolt yelled.

"Are you going to butcher me afterward?" Sonic joked. "Just so you know, I prefer to be peppered and prepared with a Jack Daniel's and barbeque sauce marinade!"

"I'm warning you—!"

"And I'm warning you that, unlike you, I don't have a lotta fat on my bones, but I'm sure you could still make a meal out of me!"

"THAT'S IT!"

The commish went for the chains, but the echidna tried to stop her. The chinchilla instinctively threw Lien-Da away as she ripped Sonic down hard, causing him to rub up against her side before crashing down on the concrete. She towered over him with crazed eyes as she began to draw her gun. "This is for calling me 'fat!'"

"And this is for being an easy target," he said as he showed his free hands and the key. It dawned on her what he had done, and she checked her belt.

"No… key… oh, shit."

In that time, Lien-Da got back up as Sonic had unshackled his ankles. With a devilish smile, he zipped away in a cloud of dust. Lien-Da grabbed Thunderbolt buy the glass dome and said, "You fat idiot!"

"Stop calling me 'fat!'" the chinchilla responded with tears in her eyes. "I try to manage my wei—!"

CLICK!

CLICK!

The lights went out in the warehouse, and Amy chuckled. She felt a tickling sensation come from her wrists and ankles. She knew that Sonic was making quick work of her restraints. When freed, she silently hopped off the slab and took cover in the facility's small office room, waiting for the show through the window.

Poor Lien-Da and Thunderbolt. They both feared for their lives in the dark. They didn't pay attention to Amy's escape, but rather they tried to find Sonic. Problem was that it was almost pitch black, and all they could hear was wind swirling around.

"Call him," Lien-Da said.

Using her wrist communicator, Thunderbolt called, "Doctor? We have a problem."

"You let him escape, didn't you?" he answered. It confused his lieutenants with how cheerful he sounded. "Don't speak, I figured as much!"

"Send help!" the commish yelped.

"Sorry, but you were never a part my plan to begin with. Looks like you won't be ruling with me."

"But you—!"

"Goodbye, girls."

The feed went dead as the chinchilla pleaded for him to return the call. "I told you he was full of it!" Lien-Da yelled.

"But he—!"

"Sounds like the doctor abandoned you!" Sonic's yell echoed throughout the dark facility, making his targets very nervous. "I know the feeling. Let me show you what I'm going to do to him."

"Oh, man," Lien-Da said.

CLICK!

CLICK!

The lights were back online, and the two turned all around trying to find him. Then Lien-Da found out that they were short one female hedgehog. "She's gone too?!"

"Yup!" he said. "I know it's just you and me, but this has to be the worst threesome in the history of fan-fiction! Yeeee-uck!" Lien-Da pointed to the rafters above. That's where his overly happy voice was coming from. Her partner nodded, and they took aim. "You're not planning on shooting little ol' me, are you?"

"Come down and show yourself!" Lien-Da said.

"Alright, but you asked for it!"

Sonic rappelled down on the far end of the hangar, completely out of their sights. With a smirk, he rolled into a ball and revved up.

DASH!

It was too late for the girls as they saw the world's largest pinball come up and drill them both. The echidna landed in the rafters while Thunderbolt crashed hard on the pavement. He would start with her.

As he walked toward her, Thunderbolt came to and got up. Seeing him, she activated her suit's electric powers. Energy coursed throughout her exoskeleton, and Sonic made note of that.

"Be careful, Sonic!" CREAM said into his ear. Through Sonic's contact lenses, he could see that it was highlighting the commissioner's suit. It wasn't even at its fullest capacity, but she was already outputting 2,000 volts. "If she hits you, you'll get a big shock!"

Thunderbolt charged at Sonic (no pun intended), but he sidestepped her. He revved up and plowed her over with a well-placed spin dash. Problem was that Sonic still got a couple hundred volts into his system.

"What did I just say?!" CREAM screamed.

He groaned at his mother figure as his opponent got back up and shot out a large wave of electricity, nearly singeing his fur. She charged again, and he sidestepped. But she was ready this time as she gave him a big backhand that knocked him down. Taking the upper hand, she tried to step on him, but Sonic rolled out of the way and hopped up. She swung madly, trying every kind of punch she could think of, but he was too quick for her attacks. That is until she faked one way and came back with a thunderous right cross that sent him across the room.

He skidded along the concrete until he abruptly stopped when his back slammed into a metal pole of sorts. He got up slowly, feeling the pain that her metal mitt had left on his chest and the shock she gave him. Looking down at what he hit, he found a water tap. It didn't have a hose attached, just the faucet.

With her barreling down on him, he had to make a quick decision. " _Can't hit her directly, just like Iron King. Have to think outside the box!_ " Then he remembered what he hit. Looking down quickly and back to her, he smiled and spun around quickly, turning on the faucet. It spat out copious amounts of water on the floor.

He saw her face turn sour the moment he did that. Sonic zipped away as Thunderbolt tried to stop herself… but it was too late. It was slick, she was coming in hot, and that lead to her slipping and falling hard on her back as the water ran right into her suit.

Lights out.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!

She screamed, but it was not because she was in pain. The heads-up display in her suit flashed brightly in red as alarms were blaring into her ears. "Noooooo! My suit!" The water was dangerous because of her electrical output, but the water running through her suit hit the power generator and was shorting out her exoskeleton. "You bastard! This is my life!"

The suit then groaned lowly and powered down. That was his cue to shut off the water and walk to her. The liquid was no longer dangerous. Getting to her glass dome, he looked down at her and smugly smirked. She was screaming loud profanities at him. What a sore loser.

"Okay, you need a timeout!" He punched the glass, shattering it in the process. Luckily, no glass got in her eyes or her mouth.

"I'm going to rip your heart out!" she screamed. "I'll—! Hey!"

He grabbed her by the head and literally ripped her out of the now immobilized suit. He was having a hard time holding her with one arm because of how heavy she was.

"Let go of me, you rodent!"

"Okay, fat-face!"

With all the strength that he could muster, he tossed her up and got ready. In one motion, he leaped and cocked his leg. He let loose a harsh and violent leg swipe that sent her into the far wall, knocking her out instantly and denting the sheet metal. It was a super-kick that only Neymar could be proud of.

One down. One to go. Now… where was Lien-Da?

CLICK!

Ugh… there she was.

He raised his arms and spun around, showing her his unimpressed look. She raised an eyebrow as the rage built inside of him. He balled up one of his fists, cracking the knuckles in the process. She sighed and lowered her pistol. She even chuckled, further confusing the hedgehog.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," she said. He remained silent, obviously not impressed. "For what it's worth, it wasn't my choice to side with Robotnik. He convinced her and manipulated her into forcing me in." She turned around and began to head off to the office. "Go kick his fat ass for me, would you?"

"And where are you going?" he asked.

"There's only one place that stupid reporter could've gone." The wind rapidly picked up in front of her. She shielded her eyes because of it and felt the heavy, labored breathing of a speedy hedgehog. She opened her eyes to see all of the emotions in his grassy green irises. "What?"

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!

He sucker-punched the faux dominatrix and put his boot to her head, rubbing her cheek harshly. "You've terrorized her for too long," he said coldly.

"What the f—?!" He took his shoe off and grabbed her by the leather. "You goddamn psycho! Do you know who I am?!"

"You're someone I promised that I was going to get hurt if you ever went after Amy again."

Her face turned white as a sheet. That night, she was given the beating of a lifetime, and she knew he could fulfill his promise in spades. The ACLs, the arms, her pelvis, everything could be broken by him. Instead of begging him to be merciful, she grimaced and hoped for the best.

"Still won't stop me." You dumb broad! Why would you say that?! "I won't stop until—!"

Without waiting, he dropped her slightly gripped her neck, choke-slamming her into the concrete and giving her a mean headache with a side of mild concussion. Her eyes fluttered open, but she was seeing more than one Sonic. As she cursed under her breath, he stepped on her pelvis. "Please…," she said weakly. He honored her request and took his powerful right leg off. "Thank y—." But then he grabbed her left leg and twisted it.

POP!

CRAAAAAAAAACK!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Like nails on a chalkboard. She gripped her knee fiercely and screamed her lungs out as Sonic watched her squirm in pain. She didn't know how to shut her trap, and now she was down one ACL. Amid her panting and crying, she looked up in fear at Sonic, not wanting another lesson from him. She tried to scramble back, but he zipped in front of her every time.

"You're not outrunning me," he said darkly as he grabbed her by the other knee. "Docs can fix ACLs, but if you take another swipe at Amy, you won't walk ever again."

One quick, seamless motion. Second verse, same as the first.

POP!

CRAAAAAAAAACK!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Her screams made him darkly smile.

But enough with ear-grating screams. He picked up the injured cop and tossed her in the air. As she came down, she received one last roundhouse to the skull. He put a little more zing into thing one, and boy… did she feel it. She wasn't waking up anytime soon, ragdolling unceremoniously to the turf. Not wanting her to get away, he blasted back and forth from the chains, Lien-Da, and even Thunderbolt, bringing them back to the hook and chain. He cuffed them up, hooked them up, and he raised the chain, suspending the femme fatales in the air like dirty laundry. As Sonic marveled at his handiwork, a hand softly grabbed his shoulder. He turned around to find a familiar pink face.

"Normally we beat the piñatas _after_ we string them up," Amy said.

"Eh, screw tradition," he remarked as his face softened. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern. He then was swamped by her throwing her arms around him. Taken back for a second, he soon returned the hug.

"I'm fine. They didn't hurt me. They put me on the slab and waited for you to show up."

He smiled, and Amy did something he didn't expect: she kissed him on the cheek. Not the first time she did that, but like last time, he blushed madly.

"N-No one goes after m-my friends," he stuttered as he let her go. She smiled at his naïve nature. Suddenly, they could hear loud machinery. It sounded like a… crane?

"He's loading them up," Amy said as she snapped back to reality. "You need to go."

"Will you be okay here?"

She looked back at the dirty cops. "Rouge and her forces will be here soon. Besides, these two won't be trouble." She then turned back to him. "Go get him."

He walked toward the exit. "If it's what the woman wants," he said before zooming away. As she watched him run, her heart swooned.

"I forgot how strong his arms are~."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

SONIC, THE 4TH WALL ISN'T A TOY! YOU CAN'T JUST BREAK SHIT WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW HOW IT WORKS!

Sorry about the outburst, folks.

So... I've had a pretty interesting week, and it's all thanks to one event. One of closest friends recently proposed to his girlfriend. I've known the guy since high school, and we've saved each other's asses a few times (he was the reason I was able to pass an online computer programming course in college among other things). What I'm gonna say next is, in my eyes, a formality, but he and his fiance asked me to be his best man. I cannot tell you how honored I feel to be a part of his big day and that he trusts me enough to be the best man. That said, I know I have obligations for the wedding, but I don't have many ideas for a bachelor party. Neither of us are really into the whole "let's get shitfaced at a strip club and let some busty whore shake her phat tits in our faces" scene. Never have, never will. He is, however, into baseball, specifically the Baltimore Orioles. He is also into the big city scene (i.e. Chicago, Twin Cities, etc.). So now, I'm opening this up to you guys and gals for help. What do you think I should do for my friend's bachelor party? I'd like some ideas about what to do (that **_WILL NOT_** break my bank) for the event. His wedding isn't until July of next year, but I want this to memorable- **for the right reasons** -for both of us. Or you can tell me to not throw one for him (I know a few coworkers who didn't have one when they got hitched). If you guys and gals have any ideas, send them my way. I'm open to just about anything.

And then that great week was ended by Aaron Rodgers breaking his collarbone... again. So now the Packers' season might be in the shitter without a star QB at the helm. Fuck me and my fantastic love of football and the Packers. It can be a blessing and a curse.

Anyway, I know there a few of you who aren't the biggest SonAmy supporters. Hey, that's perfectly fine with me if it's not your cup of tea. But... I can't help myself. I'm a SonAmy shipper through and through. It's just that it's a classic case of Amy starting to fall for Sonic. Cheesy? Undoubtedly. Cliche? To a tee. Expected in a story that's written to be like a superhero movie? Please, Hollywood beat me to the punch on that horizon before I was a twinkle in my mother's eye (or is father's eye? I can never remember how that phrase goes).

Side note: in the last chapter, I would like to clarify that the only reason that Tails knew about Amy's kidnapping/abduction was because Amy was wearing a pair of Tails's wireless earbuds (the things Sonic used to keep in contact with CREAM and Tails while he was destroying clone facilities). I kind of worded it weirdly, 'cause it kind of sounds like Tails has ESP and that's how he knew that Amy was taken away. It does kind of create a plot-hole in the sense that if Tails and CREAM could hear Amy's abduction, t, then by association, Sonic and Rouge should've heard it too. Sorry about missing that plot-hole.

But anyway, the next time we meet, I will have the final 2 chapters for your reading (dis)pleasure. I can't believe how we're nearing the end already! But we're not done yet. We got ourselves a climax to get to, and it'll be coming at you next Thursday at midnight (CDT)!

Before signing off, I want to thank the likes of **NeckBreak, SpeedsMyGame (x4), True Hyper Sonic, IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE, & MissMJS **for dropping their two cents on how the story's going. I hope that the end won't disappoint you! As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	22. Beside Oneself

**CHAPTER XXII – BESIDE ONESELF**

"D.V. on."

His specially made lenses allowed him to see all the skeletal structures in the area. Looking toward the large barge, he saw that there was already one crate of clones on board. Another was directly to his left on the edge of the pier. The final one was being suspended in the air by a Robotnik droid via the crane that he and Amy heard a moment ago.

"Oh, no you don't. D.V. off!"

Blasting toward the crane tower, he quickly grappled up the ladder. Once up, he saw the droid controlling it in a small operating room.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The robot turned its head, but it quickly turned back to the task at hand when it found out who knocked. Opening the door, Sonic slammed a fist on top of the robot's head and dragged it out of the small room. With one good toss, the sorry piece of tech landed on the asphalt below with a loud SMASH!

Next was the load of clones. Too bad that Sonic drew in a small crowd of robots because of his stunt. They were starting to flock toward the crane.

"R, send your men into the pier! Aim for the robots!"

"You got it!"

G.U.N. trucks came roaring in, breaking down the chain-link fences surrounding the joint. The hulking four-wheelers ran through the robots trying to get to Sonic. When they stopped, the doors opened, and the brave men and women inside began shooting up the remaining droids. Left and right they fell to the power of automatic assault rifles. When the dust had settled, the ground was blanketed with broken metal, oil, and bullet casings.

Now for the next task at hand. Sonic grabbed the controls, but to destroy the clones, he needed to find out how to do so. The bigger problem, however, was that he didn't know how to operate the contraption.

"T, I wanna drop this clone crate on the other one. How do I work this thing?"

"Let me scan it."

A bright flash of cyan light emitted from the contacts, but it didn't blind Sonic. On the other end, Tails and CREAM ran through the various models of port cranes the city docks used, finally hitting a match about five seconds into the search.

"Okay, S, to drop the clones, there's an emergency button to the left of the seat. Do you see it?"

Sonic turned. "Yeah."

"Push it!"

"Wait, how do I turn it?"

"There are two shifting sticks on the floor at the base of the chair," CREAM said. "Take the right one and move it towards you."

"Got it!" Sonic responded as he slowly turned the big rig. A little more… a little more… a little more… perfect! "R, tell your boys and girls to clear the area!"

"Will do!"

Her orders were spouted out, and the small army fled the immediate area, getting cover behind their big trucks.

"Bombs away!" Sonic yelled.

CLICK!

The cables were released, and the large, metal box fell to the ground like an obese pigeon.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

* * *

From the bridge, the doctor groaned and slammed his fist. After spitting on the floor, he tried to collect his thoughts and calm himself. First, he pulled out his rare 1875 .45 Colt pistol. He opened his revolver's chamber and filled it with the appropriate ammunition. Once loaded and holstered, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a Cuban cigar and a lighter. As he was about to start smoking, one of his robotic crew members appeared at the door.

"SIR, SONIC HAS TAKEN CONTROL OF THE CRANE. THE OTHER CLONES ARE COMPROMISED."

"You don't say?" he asked sarcastically. He then threw the lighter at his servant. "I know he took it over, you dolt! I could see it clear as day!"

"WHAT SHOULD WE DO?"

Turning away, he mulled his options. Sonic would surely be coming any minute. How could he defend himself?

Then it hit him.

How does someone protect oneself against a supersonic speedster? Have another one go up against him! But why just one? Why not more?

"Drain the capsules and activate them."

* * *

Even in the small room, Sonic could hear the metal scraping and crashing, not to mention the glass capsules housing the clones all shattering on impact. Flipping the D.V. back on, he surveyed the damage. Not even one of them was still alive. Chaos, what a way to go.

"Fifty to go," he said to himself. Then he turned toward the ship as it bellowed a mighty horn. "R, are the submarines ready?"

"In position, S. And that stunt of yours was way over-the-top!"

"I work in style, _chica_. The ship's about to leave. I'm boarding it."

"Alright, but be careful."

Sonic exited the small room and found the ship again. Its anchors were up, and the engines were getting loud. The moment it started moving, he climbed onto the crane's extension and ran on it. With one large step, he leaped off the edge and shot out a grapple, latching onto the ship's side and zipping onto the deck.

He walked slowly around the crates, trying to find something, anything, about the clones or the fat man who made them. They were here somewhere, and so was Robotnik.

SQUISH!

Sonic looked down and saw that he stepped in some sort of liquid. "Great," he said to himself. "What the heck is this?"

"Sonic!" a loud voice said. It came from the of P.A. system, and that meant that _he_ was in the bridge. "Welcome to the S.S. Robotnik, where we provide the greatest travel experiences for the worst rodents and/or stowaways! No matter what kind of passenger you may be, we provide the best in world-class entertainment!" He shook his head. Eggman was having fun with this. Too much fun. Someone in this situation should be crapping their pants that a guy like Sonic was hunting for him, especially when he had done so much to ruin him. Why was he so joyful? "Should you have any questions about what the S.S. Robotnik has in store for you, please consult the captain in his quarters as soon as possible!" The P.A. cut out, and it left a loud surge of feedback. Groaning, Sonic turned his walk into a jog.

"He's _too_ cheerful," remarked Tails. "Stay on your toes."

To get a better idea of where he was, and to find the bridge, he grappled up to the top of a stack of crates. Getting up, he turned 90 degrees to his right and saw through a pane of glass a fat man pouring himself a glass of bourbon as he smoked.

Taking a running start, he leaped from crate-to-crate en route to the Eggman, finally hopping off the last one and onto a walkway. He cracked his knuckles and neck for good measure as he walked into the room. With the doc was a robot manning the steering controls.

The doctor himself was still puffing away on cigar, blowing smoke without care. Sonic walked in, but Eggman took another puff and blew into the speedster's face. Sonic simply waved the cloud away from his nose and met the eyes of the oddly happy Robotnik. His smile made Sonic's skin crawl.

Eggman chuckled. "You took longer than I thought. I'd have thought those two wenches would be no match for you."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Sonic responded, venom laced in his words.

"Yes, I suppose you are. Care for a drink?"

"Pass. Why are you so happy?"

"Can't family share a fine drink?"

"We were _never_ family!" Sonic barked.

"How could you say that to the man who raised you?" Eggman joked as he patted Sonic's head. But Sonic smacked the doctor's hand away.

"You raised me to be a guinea pig! Me and Green! You said you wanted us to be the best like no one ever was, and we did that for you! But now, I want to throw you to the dogs."

"Blue, it doesn't—."

"Blue died with his brother on that godforsaken rig! Along with all those clones."

"Ah yes, you and your clone business. And may I say, what a ragtag bunch of losers you partnered with to find them! An annoying pink brat, her mutant brother with double the tails and IQ, and a busty bat. And may I ask, how did you find out where the clones were in the city? I'm curious."

"Amy and I went back to the rig, and we found CREAM."

The doc laughed. "Is that so?"

"You should've scrapped her out when you had the chance."

"And miss out on this meeting?"

Okay, Sonic had enough of his attitude. "How could you possibly be happy right now?! I've torn down everything you've built and exposed you to the world! The people you sold clones to are going to come for you; them and every law enforcement agency from here to Adabat!"

He chuckled again, but this was more menacing than before. Sonic didn't like it one bit. "Because, my idiotic friend, the great thing about science is that you can replicate your experiments if you have the same materials."

Sonic shook his head. "You don't have any materials," the hedgehog stated. "They're all destroyed."

Robotnik brought his wrist and watch up to his mouth. "One crate got up here, stupid."

Oh, damn.

Sonic's eyes went wide. In such a shock, he didn't have to time to stop Eggman's next words.

"Eggmanland."

They heard a low shift come from the platform below. One crate was open, and it still had fluid seeping out of it. Then, as a collective unit, the clones—all 50 of them—walked out and stood at attention, perfectly uniform in their odd salute to the doctor. What was just as odd, if not disconcerting, was that they were all clones of Sonic. Not one of them was a clone of Green.

Looking at the doctor with wide exasperated eyes, Sonic said, "You wouldn't!"

Eggman, still with the communicator to his face replied, "Sic him!"

"GET OUT OF THERE!" CREAM and Tails screamed.

Sonic didn't listen and swung at the doctor. Before the blow landed, a clone had stopped it and threw Sonic out the window. Landing hard, Sonic cursed at the pain. Couldn't pay attention to that, though. When he got up, dozens of imitators surrounded him. Eggman must've stopped them from attacking, at least for the time being. They waited patiently for their signal. As they waited, Sonic got into a readied stance, eyes darting around to see who would be the first to strike. Breathe in, breath out. In and out. In… and… out.

"Tails? Rouge? CREAM?" Sonic asked.

"Y-Yeah?" they forced out nervously.

"If I don't make it, I just wanted to say… it was an honor. And Rouge? Surface the subs."

"Hohohohohohoho!" Robotnik bellowed. "As powerful as you are, Sonic, even you must admit that 50-to-1 odds doesn't look good! Now clones, don't kill him, but give him hell!"

Game on.

They all charged the hero, but he grappled out of the way of the first wave. It didn't take them long to find Sonic on stack a of crates. A few zipped up before he fully climbed up and shoved Sonic off.

THUD!

He doubled over as he had landed on his side. His hip felt like it was going to burst. But there was no time to wallow in pain as one doppelganger kicked his face in. Another kicked him in the back, sending a ruthless jolt of pain through his body. Another grabbed Sonic and threw him harshly into the corner of a crate. Agony aside, he turned to see a fist coming in hot. With enough just time to spare, he ducked out of the way and countered by slamming that clone's face into the crate's corner. Another jumped to sucker-punch Sonic, but it was blocked. The two sparred for a quick moment, trading and canceling each other's blows. But then Sonic accidentally shot out a grapple and hooked the foot of his opponent. With one pull, he tripped up the faker and smashed his knuckles into its teeth. Taking a moment to reflect, he looked at the grapples and smiled. He found a way to integrate them into combat. Just as he smirked at this revelation, a flying foot drilled him in the back of the head. Temporarily dazed, Sonic rolled out of the way of a knockout punch to kick his attacker with both legs, sending him flying.

"Get off!" he yelled.

As Sonic sparred, Eggman continued to watch the music-less mosh pit, the robot steering the ship got his attention.

"DOCTOR, LOOK OUT TO THE BAY!" Doing so, Robotnik gritted his teeth as he saw a pair of highly dangerous G.U.N. submarines surface majestically into the bay.

"Attention Dr. Robotnik!" one of the sub's crewmember yelled through a loudspeaker. "These submarines are armed to the teeth with every kind of missile and explosive imaginable! G.U.N. has vessels at every waterway opening in the city! Stop the ship, or we will open fire!"

"Damn!" Eggman yelled, quickly turning to his navigator. "Stop this craft!" He turned back to the clones. "We'll deal with them after Sonic dies."

"S, subs are halting the boat!" yelled Rouge. "How are you holding up?"

He struggled to hold a clone with his arms at full extension. "Lemme get back to you on that!" Sonic then headbutted the clone and kicked it into a railing. Kipping back up, Sonic shot off another grapple, grabbed a clone, and wrangled it toward him. But a blindside slap made Sonic let go of his target. He regained his balance and engaged with the one that stopped him. Punch! Kick! Jab! Elbow!

WHAM!

A knee to the chin sent it flying, but Sonic got clotheslined by another pair of them. They quickly stepped and kicked on the downed hedgehog, but Sonic grappled to a pole near the side of the ship and slid along the metal. When he got up, he felt pain coursing throughout his body. One rushed in from the side and decked the hero, sending him down the walkway. Another did the same thing as he tried to stand.

"Sonic, get up!" Tails screamed.

Easier said than done. Sonic was downed, and he wasn't getting any chance to get up. Kick after kick, punch after punch, Sonic starting to become a bruised and bloodied mess. The final blow came when one more clone grabbed his limp head and bashed it into the railing, giving him a loud headache, possibly a concussion. Down on all fours, Sonic struggled to get up. Every time he tried, a clone would either smash a hand or ankle.

"Stop!" the doctor commanded. At his words, the clones stood straight up and at attention. Happy with the night's events so far, Eggman left the bridge, descended a set of stairs—accompanied by two robots—and reached the beaten hero.

Sonic couldn't see their faces, but Rouge, Tails, and CREAM all held their breaths. This had not gone his way. But it wasn't Sonic's fault. He was an even match with one clone, but 50? Robotnik was right, it didn't look like he could survive those odds.

"Grab him," he commanded his robots. They nodded and each grabbed one of Sonic's limp arms. On his knees and looking worse for wear, Sonic slowly raised his head, seeing that there were now a couple of Robotniks. Yep, he definitely had a concussion. But even through the wobbly images, Sonic managed to figure out that Eggman was pulling out his .45 Colt. He could hear Tails and CREAM gasp. With it at his head, Sonic huffed and puffed with exhaustion.

The doctor chuckled. "You know, Sonic," he began, "you gave me a real run for my money. Killing off clones and ruining my name. It was rotten, savage, and downright appalling. I might be a little too happy to see you get hurt, but I'm actually okay with you doing all those things! But you couldn't beat me, and I still have a pack of clones left! Hahahahaha! Oh, the fun times we'll have without you! With them at my side, I'll have the world at its knees in no time!"

"You love to hear yourself talk," Sonic remarked as he spat out blood.

"Yes, yes I do! But now, Sonic, our time is running out. The world will be mine in due time, and you will join your stupid parents and that dumb brother of yours." Sonic rolled up his fists. Eggman saw that. "Oh, he's still able to emote! Did I strike a nerve?" Robotnik then cocked the pistol. The bullet was primed. "I'm going to miss you, Sonic. However, I'll be nice and tell you what I'm going to do next."

"Oh, spare me the banter!"

"Hush, insect!"

SMACK!

The side of the firearm slammed into Sonic's head.

"I'm going to start with this city. My rivals won't know what hit 'em! But before I rip out their hearts…," he retrained the pistol on Sonic. "I am going to find those stupid friends of yours!" That struck a nerve in Sonic's head. Suddenly, he regained his composure and could see only one Eggman. "And you wanna know what I'll do to them?! I'll paint the town with their blood! I'll rip off that Tails freak's tails off and barbecue them over a gentle fire!" That made him madder. "Rouge's wings will get sawed off, and I'll skewer her with them!" And madder! "I'll melt down CREAM and make her a fixture in my toilet!" And madder! "And last, but not least, my clones will each have a turn to have some _fun_ with Amy!"

The fire returned to Sonic's soul as he began to vibrate slowly. His blood boiled. His eyes widened. His teeth gritted against each other! Every fiber of his being was willing him to fight back!

"And the best part? It'd be like if you were the one who was ra—!"

The vibrations messed with the robots enough to let go of Sonic. Like a speeding bullet, Sonic obliterated the droids, catching Eggman and the clones by surprise. The doctor aimed his bullet, began to pull the trigger, but Sonic grabbed his hand and slammed it into the railing, making the gun ring like a bell. A bullet was shot out and ricocheted into a clone, nailing it in the arm. Sonic then violently swung and connected with the doctor in the chest. Such a hard hit sent Robotnik flying, but he managed to hold on to the pistol.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sonic screamed as he went to town on the other clones. "You!" WHAM! "Will!" POW! "Not!" BOOSH! "Touch!" SMACK!" "Amy!" BIFF! "You won't touch Tails!" BAM! "You won't touch Rouge!" BANG! "And you won'ttake CREAM away from me again!"

He spun madly, creating a whirlwind around him. The clones and Eggman needed to shield their eyes from the tornado-force winds Sonic generated. Despite his testosterone and adrenalin high, the pain from the beating began to surge back. Hurt, and with them all dazed, Sonic saw a small entrance to the ship's lower levels. He needed to time to rest up, even if was for a short bit, so he zoomed past his attackers and through the doorway.

Coming to, Robotnik looked around and only saw the carnage that Sonic had wrought. Holstering his weapon, he looked around for the speedster, but he couldn't find him. Groaning, he commanded, "Don't just sit around! Find him!"

Sonic continued to aimlessly run through the halls and rooms of the lower decks. It was sort of like a maze, with all the level changes and different rooms. Needing to stop soon, he skidded along through one final hallway, entering a large room that was making a lot of noise. Hiding behind the doorway, Sonic flopped to the ground and panted heavily.

"Way to go, Sonic!" Tails exclaimed.

"That was incredible!" CREAM added. "How did you get out of that?"

"I… *pant* got luck… *pant* lucky when Egg… *pant* Egg… *pant pant* Egg-McFatFace told his… * pant* robots to grab me." He panted a few more times before stopping, although his breathing was still heavy.

"Well, his mistake is our advantage," Tails stated. "Are you okay?"

"I got gangbanged by 50 of me, Tails! Just let… let me catch my breath."

"Remember what I told you in training, S?" asked CREAM. "Stand up when you're tired. Oxygen will get into your system better."

Sonic nodded and got up, albeit slowly and with a lot of grunting. His sore body was really feeling it now. Opening his eyes, he saw that everything in this room seemed to be moving in a circular pattern. There were a lot of pumps, and the temperature of this room was hotter than the top deck.

"What is this place?" Sonic asked. Suddenly, a drop of liquid fell onto his nose. He looked up to notice that there was a leaky pipe above him, and it looked all rusted out. Looking at the droplet, he immediately noted how potent the liquid's odor was. It smelled… industrial? Mechanical? He couldn't quite place it. "What's that?"

"Let me scan it," Tails said. The D.V. turned on, and the heads-up display showed that there was a sample to be analyzed. Tails began to scan it, and in the top right of his line of sight, Sonic could see the chemical structure of the compound. "Ah, ship fuel."

"Fuel?"

"Yeah. You must be in the engine room. You saw those pipes above you, right?"

"Yeah?"

"The ships in Robotnik's fleet are peculiar in the sense that they have the fuel tank _above_ the engine room. The fuel pumps in from those pipes and flows into the pistons, those pumping things that are moving around and around. But enough about that. We need to find a way to take down the clones."

"Easier said than done," Rouge chimed in. "I can't see what you're seeing, but I can guess that the clones are getting to be too much."

"That's a nice way of putting it," Sonic said. "I can't take them all on. Not when I'm this beaten up."

"Well, we need a plan ASAP."

Sonic thought about it. The clones were perfect matches of him, and Eggman was in control. Take his wristwatch? An interesting idea, but they would've still been given his orders to get Sonic. But that wasn't a bad starting point. Okay, take away Eggman's communications. But Sonic still couldn't take them all on at once. There'd be no way he could get them all individually. So, what could he do?

Another drop fell on Sonic's head. Looking back up at the pipes, he noted earlier that these pipes were rusted and looked very old. Didn't look like it would be able to hold much weight.

Then Sonic had an idea. "Tails, the ship fuel is flammable, right?"

"Try 'highly combustible'. Wait, why do you ask?"

Sonic went back to thinking. Robotnik's watch… the fuel… maybe sink the ship? No, the clones could just abandon ship and wreak havoc on the surface. But what if he—? Then he remembered the biggest part. Eggman was smoking a cigar in the bridge. That meant he had a lighter. A wicked smile came across his face.

"Yoo-hoo! Mobius to Sonic!" Tails said.

"Tails, if I were to, say, get on those overhead pipes, do you think that they could support my weight?"

"With that much rust? No. It'd break in seconds."

"Haha! Alright, I think I've got a plan. Follow along with me, and CREAM, get me a map of the ship."

"What are you planning?" CREAM asked.

"Mass suicide."

"Excuse me?!"

* * *

The doctor fumed in his bridge. He was forced to stay put, at least for the time being, and now Sonic escaped. He had him, and he cursed himself for letting him get away. His clones scurried about the ship, but they were not finding anything, annoying the fat man more.

In the distance, the church bells from the city began to ring out.

DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!

 **FRIDAY, JULY 1ST, 2016**

Midnight in the big city.

Suddenly, a knock came from the doorframe to his left.

"Have you found him?" Eggman asked as he puffed his cigar, not even looking at him.

"You could say that."

"What do you—?" He stopped midway when he saw that this hedgehog had gold bracelets. Last time he checked, the clones didn't have those. "It's—!"

Eggman couldn't get a word out or his sidearm because of a mean right hook. Sonic quickly got in his face and said, "Tell 'em I'll be in the engine room!"

Eggman growled. "He's in the engine room!"

"Thanks!" Then Sonic swiped the watch and his lighter, though Eggman only noticed the former.

"Hey!"

"Smell you later!"

ZOOM!

Eggman slammed his fist into the ground. "Give me my—! Ooooooooh, I'll skin that demon!" Getting up, he went to the elevator in the back of the room. With one press, the door opened. He urgently hit the button for the lowest floor, determined to cut Sonic off.

Speaking of Sonic, he blasted around the top of the ship, getting every clones' attention. Sonic, complete with a mini-map of the ship in his heads-up display, was not only able to get their attention, but with the mini-map, he knew where all the corners and shortcuts were, allowing him to stay a step ahead of his pursers.

With all 50 accounted for—yes, Sonic kept track of how many were chasing him—Sonic was able to go to the next phase. Once on the last floor, Sonic blasted down the long hall to the engine room, clones in hot pursuit. One of them tried to knock Sonic down, but our blue hero countered and sent him into the metal floor. This caused the other clones to trip over each other, giving Sonic even more time to pull this off.

The clones finally all got up and continued their pursuit. They all saw him enter. Little did they know that Eggman just arrived on that floor.

Getting out, he witnessed Sonic flash by, but looking down the hall to his left, he saw a small army bearing down on him. He only just got out of the way of his clones as they sped by. He thanked his lucky stars for being aware enough.

The clones entered the room, but they couldn't find him. He wasn't standing on the floor. Heck, they checked the walls, and he wasn't there either! So… where the heck was he?

WHISTLE!

They all looked up to see Sonic being held up to the ceiling by the grapple. "You guys have working very hard tonight! You deserve a nice, warm shower!" The grapple let loose, and Sonic landed on the pipes. They came undone, but only a little bit. The clones directly underneath them got a splash of fuel, and a few got it in the eyes. He jumped again, and the pipe became more undone. "One more!" He jumped, and this time, they broke. Tails's rust calculations were a bit late, but at least they broke.

The warm fuel splashed and crashed onto the clones, spilling all over the floor. Sonic leaped off the falling pipe, shot a line to the ceiling, and then swung himself out of the room. Not a single droplet of the potent mixture touched his body.

The clones couldn't believe it. The fuel blinded some of them, but most were still aware of the situation. They saw Sonic clean as a whistle.

"Oh, boys!" Sonic jeered. "Follow me!"

The ones that could see did so. The ones that couldn't stayed, wallowing and stumbling in pain. As Sonic blasted by, he saw Eggman poking his head around the corner. "Hi, Eggman! Bye Eggman!" Sonic yelled as he whizzed by. Then he saw the other clones chasing him. Robotnik got out of the way again and watched them fly by, but they were moving so fast that the fuel that soaked them was sprayed all over the hallway and the doctor.

The heavy misting made Eggman fall over in surprise, and when he got up, he took one good whiff of himself. "I smell like a gas station! Why are the clones covered in gas?" That question would be answered soon enough, but for now, he went back into the elevator and pressed the button for the bridge. Sonic would surely be heading to the surface next.

Indeed, he was. Sonic went up and up, clones still hot on his heels. The moment he saw the topside door, he blasted through it. The clones got there soon after, but because of the crates everywhere, they lost track of where he went. They fanned out and tried to find him, still sopping wet from the fuel. They didn't seem to pay much attention to the fact that they smelled like straight petrol. They didn't realize that the entire top of the ship was now almost covered in gas tracks.

WHISTLE!

The small crowd looked up and around, finding Sonic in the bridge. Oh, this was going to be sweet!

"Gentlemen!" They all stopped and eyed him intensely. Sonic didn't notice how the elevator door behind him opened. Watching from the room, Eggman saw Sonic at the edge of the bridge's broken window. "It's been nice knowin' ya."

Sonic then pulled out something of the doctor's.

"NO!" The doctor yelled, immediately realizing what Sonic was about to do.

Sonic looked behind to see the doctor. He wryly smiled and dropped the Eggman's lighter.

Dr. Ivo Robotnik watched in horror as it fell onto the ship's deck.

CLINK!

It landed.

FWISH!

And there it went.

The small flame rapidly burned around the deck, engulfing the entire topside of the freighter. One clone saw the flame coming from a mile away, but it knew it was already too late. The blaze had reached him, and on contact, burned its fur, flesh, and brethren in a righteous blaze.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Their screams fell on Sonic's deaf ears as he witnessed the end of the Eggman Empire before his very eyes. Every single clone on the surface was burning alive. Their skin and fur melted together to create an unholy sight and stench. They rolled around, trying to douse the flames, and some tried to run around to extinguish themselves, but they could not do it. Their cries for help were all for naught, as they all began to fall like dominoes, succumbing to their bitter and violent demises.

But that was just on the deck! When they followed Sonic up to the surface, the then-drenched clones had tracked a trail of fuel all around the ship. The clones had moved so fast that gassy mist coated the walls of the ship's lower levels, and their fumes lit up the moment the fires raged toward them. Soon it would reach a culmination point.

Eggman stumbled out of the elevator and watched his life's work all too literally go up in flames. He was behind the glass, away from the ashes of his beautiful clones. This was his nightmare, and it was all because of that one, rebellious hedgehog!

"What have you done?!" Eggman yelled.

Sonic turned to the doctor and smiled. "I'm destroying evidence. And you might wanna brace yourself."

Soon, the flames reached the home stretch: the final hallway. The long corridor quickly went up. It seemed to catch on fire more intensely and quickly down here than above. That was because there was more gas and fuel down here. The poor, blinded clones in the engine room were more than burned when the flames hit them. They instantly became ash. That wasn't because of the fire, at least not directly. The gas fumes sparked in the engine room and raged through the pipes of the ship. And it had just hit the ship's fuel tank.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A fireball that Mobotropolis had not seen since the Great Fire of 1921 arose from Tampa Bay. Though it was just past midnight, the starry sky was suddenly lightened up and blackened by the hellish fire and billowing smoke. Thousands if not millions of gallons of fuel went up in an instant, and the ship's back end ruptured almost instantaneously. The resulting shockwave sent Eggman and Sonic flying across the bridge, knocking them out temporarily.

From the docks, Rouge and Amy saw the large explosion clear as day. Thankfully, all the metal debris from the ship landed in the bay. No one there was hurt.

Rouge and Amy finally looked up after needing to avert their eyes. Chaos, it looked like a nuke detonated in Tampa Bay. No 4th of July fireworks would be able to top that.

"Sonic!" Amy and Rouge screamed. Tails and CREAM had done the same through their communicators. Amy then rushed to the edge of the pier and looked out sinking fireball that was the S.S. Robotnik.

"Sonic!" Amy yelled. "Sooooniiiiiiiiiiiic!" Rouge roughly grabbed her and took her away from the coast. "Let me go! I need to know if—!"

"I. Will. Call him, Amy!" Rouge barked. "S, are you there?! Sonic, do you read me?! Sonic!"

The bat's loud chirping made Sonic slowly wake up. Owwwww… he felt like he got hit by a truck. Then he realized that the explosion threw him out of the room and into the steering controls. As if Rouge's yelling wasn't enough, he had Tails and CREAM screaming and chirping in his ear too.

"I'm okay," Sonic said weakly.

"THANK CHAOS!" The three said in unison.

"Yeah, that was… I'm not doing that again."

"You did it, Sonic!" CREAM said. "But the ship's sinking!"

"Sonic," Rouge said, "I'm sending a chopper to pick you up! We'll be there shortly!"

"Thanks, Rouge."

As he hung up, Rouge turned to Amy. Tears in her eyes, they ladies embraced in a fierce hug. "He did it," Rouge said.

Amy looked up to her, eyes as red as a tomato, but with a golden smile. "I knew he'd do it!" Rouge then let go of Amy to find a helicopter. Amy continued to look out at the bay, awaiting his safe return. "He fricking did it!"

Sonic huffed and puffed in the debris-ridden bridge. As he looked out onto the deck, he surveyed his… well, it was hard to call it "craftsmanship". All clones were cooked. Not medium rare, not medium well, but burnt to a crisp. It made him chuckle for a moment. However, he stopped when he realized something: what happened to the doctor? He didn't see him when he woke up. Then a horrible thought crossed his mind, and an equally horrified face came with it.

"D-Did I…?"

"Did you what, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Did I kill Robotnik?"

CLICK!

A sigh of relief crashed over the blue speedster. He heard labored, angry breathing coming from behind him. Sonic sighed.

"Turn… around…!" the madman stated. Sonic did so, and… my word. Eggman was more than angry. He was on a new level of pissed off. His teeth had so much tension that they could've shattered at a moment's notice. Even his glasses were shattered. The last hedgehog standing saw how fiery the doctor's steely, blue eyes were. Another thing he noticed was how much the fat man smelled like gasoline. Then Sonic remembered how he must've gotten a dose of fuel-ly mist when his soaked clones chased him down that hallway. If that was the case, then it was a miracle that the doctor didn't burn to death himself.

"Why so… glum, doc?" Sonic teased.

Eggman fiercely looked into Sonic's eyes. "You… Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"I stopped you."

"You ruined everything!"

"You did the same to me. Makes us even in my eyes."

WHAM!

Sonic got clocked as Eggman swung and hit the hedgehog in the skull. The gun's stiff metal on his head didn't help. Another cheap shot from the doctor came from his fist as he hit Sonic behind the head, knocking him down. Dazed and rubbing the wound, Sonic looked up at the demented doctor. Great, now he was seeing double again.

"Your hits don't amount to jack, Egghead. It's over!"

"It's not over, you twerp!"

"Your clones are gone! Your ship's sinking! The feds are all around us! Face it; you're going to get what's coming to you!"

"You won't take me alive, Sonic! I'll kill myself before I go to jail!" Eggman then raised the gun back to Sonic's head. Sonic stared directly down the shaft, but noticed something severely wrong with it. "I should've done this a long time ago!"

"Doctor, put it down!" Sonic warned.

SMACK!

Another sidearm smack hit the dazed and downed blue blur. Then he spat on the rodent. "I'll kill you, then me! I won't go to prison, Sonic! You won't take me! I'll do it myself!" Sonic reached for the gun, but came up empty as Eggman pulled away and retrained it. "I'll see you in hell!"

As soon as the trigger flinched, the doctor's fate was sealed.

The hammer fell.

The bullet was primed.

The round went off.

But Eggman didn't pay attention to his .45's muzzle.

After Robotnik shot and missed Sonic near the railing earlier, the end of the gun crashed onto the metal and crimped the muzzle inward. When he pulled the trigger, the bullet stopped instantaneously and blew up in the man's hand. Remember when I said that the doctor still reeked of fuel? Sonic did.

The spark had done its job. Now, it was the fuel's turn.

FWOOSH!

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ "

Sonic got up and watched in horror as his bitter enemy was gruesomely getting his just reward. He tried to warn him. He really did. As Sonic watched the skin horrifically melt from his face, he cursed out loud. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! He was going to rot in jail! Maybe he could've gotten the death sentence. Well, he got it now.

As the fat man screamed, Sonic saw a fire extinguisher in the corner of his eye. Holding onto whatever hope he had for the doc's imprisonment, he zipped away to grab it. After following the steps, he hosed down the doctor, spraying him everywhere. It was more difficult with him flailing in every direction, but he emptied the red bottle's contents and pitched it.

Somehow, someway, the doctor's flames were put out as he moaned in agony. Sonic was about to puke. His skin had melted off his face. It had burned through the muscles and tendons. He could even see some charred bone. Though he tried, Sonic knew his nemesis was not long for this world.

With everything he had left, Eggman said, "Nooooo…! How come I… I… can't kill you?"

Sonic sighed and grabbed the blown-up sidearm of Eggman's. He looked down at the destroyed pistol and then to his enemy. He showed it to him, wanting Robotnik to know what did him in. The dying man's gaze was weakly on it.

"Because," Sonic said calmly, "you trained me not to jump the gun."

Robotnik growled, but then chuckled lowly. Coughing up whatever phlegm he hadn't burnt up, Robotnik choked for a bit, but with one final sigh, gave up his soul. His dead body had melted to the floor. The captain was indeed going down with his ship after all.

As for Sonic, he sighed. Disappointment was evident. He had him. And now he wasn't going to answer for his crimes. He wasn't going to face justice for the families he destroyed. He wasn't going to suffer any more for turning him into a freak.

But with that said, Sonic found solace in the fact that those families had now been avenged. He took solace in the fact that _his_ family was now avenged.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Sonic," Tails said sadly. "I know how badly you wanted him."

"We all did," CREAM added.

Sonic sighed and shook his head, never looking away from the destroyed handgun. "You can't have everything in life," he said after he spat on the doctor's face.

"Sonic!" Rouge yelled into his ear. "The ship's sinking fast! The chopper is at the end of the boat!" Sonic looked through the window and saw Rouge waving for him. He smiled. "Hurry up!"

Sonic ran out and grappled up to the top of the bridge, leaving the doctor to sink in his bridge of a tomb. Despite him having a hard time getting solid footing, Sonic stopped and revved up, launching himself onto the crates. He skipped along the tops of them, ending when he stopped about ten yards from the helicopter.

"Where's Robotnik?" Rouge asked.

Sonic shook his head. "I was never a fan of fried Eggs."

With that, she nodded in understanding and offered her hand. He took it and stepped into the small cabin as it flew from the fiery wreck. Sonic looked on as the ship sunk deeper and further into the bay, signaling the end of Ivo Robotnik.

As he flew back into the city, the speedster was able to take in the view of the complex. It was infested with agents. Every corner and entry way was blocked off with the local law enforcement's blue-and-red lights enveloping the outer perimeter.

A pair of low-life women were getting hauled away. But the lady that stuck out the most was the only one in pink. She stared up at the chopper. Seeing Sonic alive made her smile.

" _Thank Chaos_ ," she thought.

Sonic instructed his lenses to zoom in on her. Her warm smile made him return the favor, even though he wanted to brood the fact that he wasn't getting any justice today.

She couldn't see him return the smile given the distance between them, but he didn't really care about that. It was great to see her okay. It was great that they were all okay. Him, Amy, Tails, Rouge, and CREAM.

They did it. They fucking did it. Maybe that was the real reason he smiled. They _all_ took him down.

Raising his hand, he offered the Rose a two-fingered salute and a wink as he rode back into town. The local hospital was going to have fun looking at Sonic.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Organizing this whole sequence was a colossal pain, but it was worth it. If you can't outfight an enemy (or _enemies_ as is the case), then you have to out-think them. You can thank the Robert Downey Jr. movie _Sherlock Holmes_ for giving me the idea to burn Eggman alive. A pretty gruesome fate for anyone. And yes, there is some symbolism that Eggman died exactly 25 years to the date (and pretty much to the minute) that Sonic's parents died. Or maybe it's cruel irony for Egghead. Whichever works.

I don't have much else to say about the chapter since I know it speaks for itself. That and I'll have more to say in the A/N for the next chapter. Seguing into that, don't go too far away, because I'll be uploading the final chapter in a few short minutes, though if you're reading this, it's probably already up. Thanks to **True Hyper Sonic, FireSonic642, Guest, SpeedsMyGame,** **NavelineJemTheHedgehog123,** **Ella Belle The Writer, somas35** **, IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE, & MissMJS **for the reviews. As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.


	23. Sic Parvas Magna

**ATTENTION!** **Please read the Author's Note at the end of the chapter. Please and thank you.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER XXIII – SIC PARVAS MAGNA**

They both looked like heaping pile that a dog crapped out. Bruises, matching neck braces and crutches, and a few other injuries plagued their bodies. Yeah, these ladies went through hell. One even was scheduled for double anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery next week. That lady had severe swelling in both knees, and even though it happened last night, it still hurt like the dickens.

The sterile room matched the rest of the building and then some. The HQ lobby was already white and clean, but this place somehow looked cleaner than that. Maybe it was the overly bright LEDs shining down on them. It seemed to make the white walls look like the Transfiguration.

They waited and waited with the armed guards, who stuck out like sore thumbs. They were adorned in black and red riot gear and armed to teeth as their guns were trained on the women. Yesterday, they couldn't have imagined they would be here and looking like a truck ran them over.

Suddenly, the sound of a creaking door swung open, and in stepped a dreadlocked mammal. He tossed the folder on the desk and motioned for one of the gunmen to shut the door. Sitting down, he didn't have a friendly disposition. Thunderbolt looked intimidated when she saw what was wrong with his fists. Lien-Da turned her charm on and tried to woo the other echidna.

"You dress like a whore, and you've got the look of a whore," he flatly stated. She didn't like that and scowled at the agent. "You ladies have been on our watch-list for some time now."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, handsome," Lien-Da stated. She tried that flirt again, and it only annoyed the interrogator.

"Whore, shut up." The chinchilla laughed. Lien-Da gave her the evil eye.

Lien-Da tried one last time. "What… _interesting_ hands you have. I bet they—."

He put his paw on her. Just so he could get some goddamn peace and quiet.

"I guess Amy was right. You are a whore."

"Stop calling me a whore! I am no whore!"

He scoffed. "You have got to be the easiest chick in Mobotropolis."

"Am not!" Thunderbolt wished the guards could get her a bowl of popcorn. This was better that any pay-per-view. "I am not easy!"

"Bitch, you're easy like Sunday morning."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OHOHO-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lien-Da wished to all things holy that Thunderbolt would quit her laughing. But hey, it wasn't her fault that their interrogator slayed Lien-Da with a one-liner for the ages. But he did have a job to do, so he motioned one of the gunmen to silence her.

WHAM!

"OW!" Thunderbolt yelled as the top of her head screamed in agony.

"Now you two have a laundry list of charges thanks to a certain book that a friend of my friend talked about yesterday," he said.

"Pfft," Thunderbolt scoffed. "Blabbermouth Amy."

Ignoring the comment, he continued. "Gunrunning, drug-running, extortion, assault, murder, blackmail, accepting bribes, aiding and abetting a world class nutcase; we got it all for you two, and there's plenty more where that came from. That last one'll keep you both in one of our state-of-the-art facilities until the day your bodies feed millions of worms. But I'd like to start by asking why you helped ol' fat face to begin with."

"Kicks," Lien-Da dryly responded.

"I won't say a word so long as the doctor won't!" Thunderbolt exclaimed.

The red mammal dug into the folder and pulled out a news article from that morning's J.B.H. Memorial Gazette. The headline was damning. Lien-Da had to hold back her laughter, not from the article, but from her ex-partner's face when it looked like her world had ended. Thunderbolt was more than stunned or shocked. She was despondent!

"If that's the case, lightning rod, then you'll be holding your tongue for a long time," he responded. "Good thing too, 'cause I'm sure your lawyer would want you to do that."

He could see a heartbroken tear run down her face. "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

* * *

Phone calls for interviews had all too literally been ringing off the hook. He just wanted this circus to end. All this business and all these calls were driving him closer to the nearest mental hospital.

Taking in a deep breath, he mindlessly watched the news. By that, it meant it was only served as background noise. But he couldn't help but cut a smile whenever the AMG said something about how he died. That was a sentiment that made his heart jump for joy.

As he grabbed the family photo, he couldn't help but chuckle happily. His handsome husband, his daughter, and his son could now live in peace. No more Eggman, no more blackmail, no more worrying… at least until the next big crime lord came knocking on his door.

With his death, he knew that the likes of Naugus and Lyric were chomping at the bit to get their hands on the mayor. That was why he was packing things up. All the breaking news and frightening uncertainty was making him more paranoid than he already was. The shear thought of it made his ulcers act up. That was why he was about to call a press conference and announce his resignation.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The lynx groaned. Another reporter wanting an exclusive, no doubt.

"Can't you wait for—?" He spun around, but he stopped himself when he saw a G.U.N. agent in his presence with a business suit and matching briefcase. "Oh! My apologies! Agent Rouge, right?"

The bat walked to him and nodded. "That's right, Your Honor." She offered her hand. "Nice to formally meet you."

He shook it. "The feeling is mutual, Agent Rouge," he said with enthusiasm in his voice.

"Please, 'Rouge' is just fine, Your Honor."

He scoffed at the statement. "Some 'Honor' I am," he said glumly.

"Why so down in the dumps?"

He sighed. "Rouge… do you know what's like to have a maniac breathing down your neck all the time?"

"You haven't met my last boyfriend."

He chuckled. "I appreciate your sense of humor. But what I've done—."

"Oh, now I understand."

He nodded as he got back to his desk. "Please sit." She did so and set the briefcase down on her right. He then grabbed a glass full of whiskey and poured himself a glass. "You want one?"

"I'm good, thanks."

He took a quick sip and noted how bitter the alcohol seemed to go down. Just like everything that's happened to him for all these years.

"When I first ran for mayor, I wanted to make a difference. I didn't care what kind of scum we had in this town. I wanted to make this city safe again. That was my platform. But then things… turned sour."

"Your Honor—."

"I'm no 'Honor,'" he interrupted, shame evident in his voice, "much less any kind of honorable man."

"Your Honor, I know what you had to go through. I've been keeping tabs on the city for a while now. I know that your will to fight crime fell on deaf ears. Well, deaf ears that were paid off by mobsters. And I know what Eggman did to make you see things his way."

He groaned and slammed the rest of his drink. He took another look at the picture, specifically his daughter. Rouge turned to see the photo. She turned back to him and looked at broken mayor with understanding eyes.

"My little Alyssa," he miserably said.

"I know that Eggman had Lien-Da cripple her for going against his demands. I'm sorry that she lost the ability to walk."

He didn't respond right away. In his head, he flashed back to the night he found his husband and son crying over her lower body. She couldn't move her legs at all. He remembered flipping her over, feeling her spine… and the exact place where Lien-Da broke it. They rushed her to the hospital soon after. She was going to live, but the physical and mental trauma had taken its toll on him. She was forever handicapped, rolling around a wheelchair, always somehow smiling. He was supposed to take her condition as a warning from the doctor.

Eggman had been lobbying for the mayor's favor, but he could never get it. He only went along with him out of fear when he saw the damage he ordered on Alyssa. If he had been willing to cripple his favorite girl, then what about his beau? What about his son? That was why he was so loyal to the doctor. He never wanted to take the bribes or look the other way, but he did it so that the rest of his family could stay alive. He knew too well of what Eggman was capable of.

Rouge reached out and grabbed his hand. He looked up with puffy eyes and found her sympathetic teal irises. She nodded knowingly.

"I know it wasn't your fault, Your Honor. You did what was best for your family. I would've done the same if it were me."

"I don't doubt that."

"Sir, as someone who supported you and your initial campaign years ago, please don't resign over this. That's the last thing we need you to do. This city needs someone who's willing to take initiative and help fix the problems Mobotropolis still has. If there's one man who can do it, it's you, sir."

That made him smile warmly, but it eventually faded. "But I'm still going to prison, so what does it matter?"

"Your Honor… no, you won't." He furrowed his eyebrow and looked at her. "I was able to pull a few strings with my boss and get you a pardon."

He nearly jumped out of his shoes.

"Huh?!"

"The Governor owed me a favor, so I cashed it in."

At a loss for words, the lynx looked around his office wildly, trying to find some higher power to tell him this wasn't a dream. He wasn't getting any feedback, so he looked at Rouge and broke down into tears.

"Is this some sort of joke?!" She shook her head. "Th-Thank you!" he forced out.

"Sir, it's the least I can do." She grabbed and pulled up her briefcase. The lynx's ears twitched when she opened the locks and pulled something out of it. "Before I leave, You Honor, I wanted to drop something off," she said offering a stapled set of paper.

He accepted it and immediately felt something different about the papers' texture. It wasn't the usual kind for memos or NCAA Tournament brackets. Its structure was stiffer. It also wasn't white. It was cream-colored. But then he looked at the front page. It had her name at the top with a laundry list of achievements, past work experiences, skills and abilit—. Oh crap, this was her résumé!

"What's this for?" he asked.

"I think it's safe to say that you'll be needing a new police commissioner."

He looked back up from the paper and looked at her with mild shock. "And you want to be the next one?"

"I'm submitting my candidacy, yes."

He looked back down at the pages and began to flip through them. There was a lot of quality material in the Accomplishments section alone. He read through her various G.U.N. ranks and briefly glanced through the references before replying.

"I think it's safe to say you're over-qualified, Rouge. But why on Chaos's Mobius would you want to do this? From what I've heard, you're one of G.U.N.'s best and brightest!"

"I guess you could say I'm homesick. Sure, G.U.N. has been great to me, but I grew up here. I still care about this town. I have friends here. I want to see Mobotropolis turn it around. I don't want this place to stay a criminal cesspool. Eggman helped make it so, and I don't want that to happen again."

He nodded in understanding. "I get where you're coming from, but if I were to agree to this—."

"I give you my word that if I'm able to do it, I'll surround myself with the best people. The force undoubtedly has a lot of moles for each of the other crime lords. My interrogation skills are damn good. I'll get 'em to spill the beans. I swear it."

He noticed how passionate she was about it. He saw the fire in her eyes. He saw the drive she had. She was a doer, and she was throwing herself at him. She might as well have been his golden ticket.

He clicked his tongue and said, "Do your bosses know this?"

"The Commander does. Same with my partner. They're not too keen on it—especially my partner—but they support my decision."

He nodded. "Well, I'll put your application in with the others that will come, but I think I know who the favorite is."

She smiled and rose from her seat. "I look forward to hearing back from you, Your Honor," she said offering her hand. He shook it and smiled.

"I'll be in touch. Until then, Rouge. Have a nice day."

"You too," she said as she walked out.

Back to being alone, he took a closer look at her job history. Man, what a gold mine. If this was her history, then the references were sure to be a treat. After reading the first one on the list, he nearly fell out of his chair.

"The President?!"

* * *

They weren't quite the best seats in the house, but this were just fine for them. Sonic leaned against the workbench with crossed arms looking at the screen. Tails happily lounged in his chair. And from wherever CREAM's consciousness was inside the fox's computer, she was watching the AMG's newscast from the safety of the laboratory. Go figure that Sally and Khan were the ones breaking the news. However, Amy was off to the side bringing in other necessary information.

"… And we do have confirmation that former police commissioner, Thunderbolt the Chinchilla, did not take the news of Ivo Robotnik's death well as, and I'm quoting the G.U.N. agent performing the interrogation directly here," Sally began, "'She was throwing the chair around like a raving lunatic, hitting the other suspect in custody, Lien-Da the Echidna. It was only when dozens of tranquilizer darts were pumped into her that she went down for us to take her back to her cell.'"

"She didn't take it well, did she?" Amy asked with a smirk.

"No, not at all." Khan added, turning back to the camera. "With the two biggest lieutenants of the Eggman now in custody, expect more corrupted officials and police officers to step down and/or be arrested in the coming days. Mayor Anthony Lincoln Lynx may be one of those people. However, it is still uncertain if that will happen at all."

"We'll just have to wait and see," Sonic said.

"From what Rouge saw at his office earlier, it doesn't seem very likely he'll step down," Tails added. The speedster shrugged his shoulders and looked back to the newscast.

"… Now, we will be discussing the fallout from the death of Dr. Ivo Robotnik, AKA the Eggman later tonight," Khan began. "We here at the AMG would like to say two things first before our news hour is up. Again, we could not have found out about this without our very own Amy Rose."

The camera angle switched to include Amy with the hosts. The viewers could see Amy nod and mouth, "Thank you."

"Amy, the city and the AMG have been very thankful for everything you've done for us. And we thank you for helping us get this monumental story out."

"I can't take all the credit, Ken. There were other people that helped. Even the one who saved me."

"Still, the execs have made a decision about your position at the company going further." The Rose's smile left. It was replaced with a furrowed brow and a look of uncertainty. The same face was plastered on Sonic's and Tails's façades. "Amy Rose, you're being given a promotion!" Now they were all bug-eyed. "We have an opening for one of our on-the-street reporters, and you fit the bill!" Amy didn't know how to react to this. "Shocked" was the best way to describe the situation. "So, Amy, what do you say?"

Sighing harshly, and still trying to process this, she looked back to the hosts and replied. "I say you'll get my best work!" Sonic and Tails smirked.

"That's great to hear! But you may want to tell Max and Alicia that."

Turning to them, Amy got out of her seat as the cameras followed her. The elder Acorns weren't in the green room, but rather on the set, ready to embrace the pink lass. Amy threw her arms around them. It wasn't professional, but she knew them long enough where Alicia and Max didn't care. They returned the hug, but they let her go to finish up the show.

Taking her seat, Amy turned back to the hosts. Sally cleared her throat and said, "Amy, welcome to the newscast. Well… officially at least." Then the camera angle changed, showing only the chipmunk. "Finally, before we close out the hour, I would like to go off-script for a bit." She cleared her throat again and looked directly into the camera. "Twenty-five years ago today, this company lost a pair of friends. Not owners, not bosses. _Friends_. Jules Alan and Bernadette "Bernie" Marie Hedgehog were some of the best people you could've known. They were more than my godparents. They were family to me and to everyone who knew them." But then she smiled. "And if there was anyone who could've stopped Eggman and his Sonic Project, it just had to be their son. David Maurice Hedgehog, or as we know him, Sonic, defeated one of the evilest men on the face of the planet.

"Robotnik didn't get the chance to face justice. He died in an accidental suicide early this morning. And while many of us are disappointed that he won't go to jail for his crimes, he will, at the very least, be of no more trouble to you or the city of Mobotropolis. And it's for that reason we should be thankful. Things are far from perfect, and there's still loads to do eliminate crime here, but it's a step in the right direction. And it's for that reason that we should give everyone who had a hand in taking him down a thank you and sign of gratitude. The first being our very own Amy Rose." She stopped and clapped for her friend and was soon joined by Khan, the video crew, and Max and Alicia. Blushing and being unable to stop smiling, Amy nodded and mouthed a "Thank you" one more time. The clapping stopped as Sally turned back to the camera. "Another is Amy's brother: Miles 'Tails' Prower."

Sonic zipped to his buddy and bumped his fist. "Couldn't have done it without ya, buddy," Sonic said.

Tails turned to his friend. "No sweat."

"Another is the G.U.N. agent Rouge the Bat as well as all the agents of the Guardian Units of Nations who rounded up the clones and contained them," Sally said. "There is also CREAM the Rabbit for her role of supplying the evidence against Eggman in the first place."

Sonic looked up to the monitor. "CREAM, thanks."

"My pleasure, Sonic," the robo-bunny responded.

"And finally, the biggest 'thank you' goes out to my godbrother. I thought he had died that night with my godparents. I was wrong. He and his brother survived the experimentation and kick-started the end of the Eggman and the Sonic Project. And while I am at it, a big thank you to my other godbrother Eli Charles Hedgehog. May Chaos lay your soul to rest. But back to the topic at hand, the biggest 'thank you' goes to David Maurice Hedgehog, or as we know him: Sonic. Sonic, if you can hear this, we are all in your debt. If it weren't for you and everyone else, we might not be here today. So, for your service to us and to the world, thank you."

Sonic didn't have anything to say. He nodded at the screen and did a two-finger salute to the screen. "My pleasure," he said.

"Well everyone, that's the end of this morning's show. Khan and I will return for the Nightly News at 6 o'clock. Until then, enjoy the weather! It's sunny and in the mid-70s. There's not much for humidity, and it's a beautiful way to commemorate the day that the Sonic Project ended. Twenty-five years ago was the last day of deaths regarding the Baby Scare of '91, and it's fitting that it ends on its 25th anniversary. The Eggman is dead. He won't ruin anymore lives. To all of you at home or work or wherever you're watching, have a great day. We'll see you at 6."

The screen panned away from the news desk and transitioned to its regularly scheduled programming. But even then, Sonic couldn't help but smile at Sally's last words.

He was dead.

But he wasn't going to put it all to bed just yet. He had one more thing to do. Walking toward the duffel bag full of the Eggman's dirty money, he took out a $100 bill, but groaned when he looked back down at the bag after zipping it up.

"I suppose I should give the authorities this lump of cash."

"Eh, let Rouge handle it. I trust her over the cops. Besides, you helped end their money train. No reason to give it back to them."

Sonic smirked. "I suppose you're right. I'm going to run that errand now."

"Just so you know, the other one isn't far from yours."

"Alright, I'll look around. Shouldn't be that hard to find." On that, he zipped up the stairs and out.

Tails backed away from the monitor for a moment and pulled out a soda from his personal fridge. Walking back to his seat, he saw the lump of rust that used to be CREAM's body. Even after all this time, some of the tech inside of it was still impressive. Now, she was stuck in his computer for the foreseeable—. Wait… there's an idea! "CREAM, pull up your old body's schematics and put 'em on the screen."

"Why?"

"Please do it." Not knowing where his mind was going, she humored him and brought it up. Through the camera, she could see his eyebrow rise as well as his smile.

"What're you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that your design was ahead of its time. Some of things your body could do is still cutting edge today. I've never seen any 'bot like you! From the schematics alone, there's something cool and unique about your design that I find fascinating! But… there are things that could be improved."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"CREAM, I want to build you a new body."

Her circuits nearly blew a fuse. "You want to what?!"

"CREAM, you used to be able to walk around and interact with people. Granted, it was only Sonic… his brother… and Robotnik… but you shouldn't be cooped in my computer! You were designed to move around and do other stuff!"

Was she dreaming? Was he being serious about this?

"Are you jerking my chain?" He shook his head. "But I'm not important enough for that! I'm perfectly fine being in your computer!"

He didn't expect that response from her. Putting a hand to his chin, he thought about it more. Then he snapped his fingers when another idea came to him.

"If that's what you want, we could still have you connected into the system! It wouldn't be hard for you and me to figure out!"

She was silent for a second, pondering his offer. "Y-You'd really do that for me?"

"You're my friend! And we'll need you. So why not?"

She wanted to pinch herself so badly right now. How could she pass this up?!

"Okay, we'll start working right away! But how're we going to get the materials?"

"Don't worry about that, CREAM. I know people. Now let's start planning it out."

CREAM didn't know what was better: getting a new body or being able to be beside Tails for the whole time! Ohhhhhh, she could feel her processors swooning at the thought.

* * *

The newsroom had quickly been turned into a small party room, complete with a celebratory cake for the new on-the-street reporter. Everyone had a fruity cocktail in their hands—non-alcoholic of course since it was still the workday—and were shooting the breeze with everyone else. Brett Rodgers was telling the camera crew about the time he completed three Hail Mary's in two seasons during his playing days, and Amy stood alone taking it all in with a delicious cake. What was weird about the dessert was that the top half of it was regular white-colored cake, but the bottom half was strawberry cheesecake. It was all topped off with a chocolate frosting, making it a sort-of Neapolitan cake.

"Enjoying yourself?" Sally said, coming up from behind.

"What I'd like to know is how your folks got a cake personalized for me on short notice," Amy replied.

"Max and Alicia have a lot of friends."

"I guess! This is delicious!" Amy said as she took in another bite.

"Yeah, we know how much you love your strawberries and your cheesecake."

"Hey, they're great together!"

"Agreed. I'm sorry for springing this on you while we were on the air, but mom, dad, Khan, and I thought it'd be the best way to tell you."

"And pressure me into saying 'yes.'"

"Well, that too," Sally said with a chuckle. "But seriously, you earned it."

"Thanks, Sal."

Sally left to talk with others, leaving Amy alone to eat her cake. As she started going in for the more frosted parts, she noticed how Max and Alicia were near the desk staring at the picture of Jules and Bernie. Amy couldn't help but smile at her bosses' gesture. They still missed them. But at the very least, they had one of their godsons back. Speaking of which…

"Hey, Sal!"

The chipmunk turned around. "Yeah?"

"I hate to leave my party, but I gotta run home quickly. Mind if I take a slice or two home with me so Tails gets one?"

"Yeah, go right ahead! But don't stay away for too long!"

Amy laughed. "You know me. Always working."

* * *

Sixty of the most beautiful flowers were in his hand. It was as if he was going to start giving them away to strangers at a moment's notice. Well, he was technically going to be giving away two dozen of them to strangers.

The magnolia trees were blooming across the yard. Flowers and United Federation flags were resting on many tombstones. The cherry blossoms had bloomed late, and their petals were fluttering all around like small butterflies. Sonic paused at one of those trees and gently smelled the precious pink flower.

The few people that were inside the cemetery with him didn't recognize him from behind. It was only when he turned around and smiled at them that they knew who he was. Sonic couldn't help but feel a little giddy that people were recognizing him for his heroics. He kind of liked their attention and murmurings. What he didn't like was how much they gawked at him. It wasn't like he some sort of god or anything. He was just someone who wanted to get even.

Blocking their gawking eyes out, he reached his first destination. Tails was right. This gravestone wasn't far from his. The slab of granite was slightly darker than other stones in the vicinity. The words carved into it were painted gold, plenty legible for someone like Sonic to read them. He smiled and laid down two of the five dozen rose bouquets. One for the woman, one for the man.

 **BUCKINGHAM RODELL ROSE**

 **Born**

 **10-27-1962**

 **Died**

 **04-07-2010**

 **We will always treasure how great of a husband you were and how kind your heart was.**

 **.**

 **MONICA BEVERLY ROSE-PIKO**

 **Born**

 **12-20-1964**

 **Died**

 **04-07-2010**

 **We will not forget how you made everyone happy, from your family to your friends.**

"You don't know me, but I know about you," Sonic said lowly. "Your daughter is something else, and I mean that in the best way. She's… passionate about what she does. Amy's a fierce friend, and I'm glad to have met her. I just wanted to you to know that I appreciate your daughter and everything she's done to help me. If you could see what she's been doing for this city, I know you'd be proud of her… just like I am."

That was all off the top of his head. He didn't have anything else much to say about Amy besides that. She was incredible, and if weren't for her, he couldn't have won.

He thanked the Roses one last time and walked away. He had three more bouquets to hand out, and they were going to very special people. The people that were looking at him soon left the graveyard, leaving Sonic as its only living occupant. The summer breeze carried with it another shower of cherry blossoms, sending his sense of smell into a tizzy. The sudden burst of roses made his family's grave all the more peaceful.

He looked to one end of the large stone and shook his head. " _Someone will need to change the fact that I'm not dead_ ," he thought.

His attention to his own grave ended quickly as he turned to other three. The first bouquet he laid down for his brother. Chaos, he missed Green. It shouldn't have been Sonic getting all the city's praise. Green should've gotten his time in the sun as well. It should've been the twins bringing Robotnik down.

And it was an unfortunate promise that he broke. So much for Robotnik going to prison.

He rested his free hand on his brother's section of the stone as a bouquet gently fell into place. "I miss you, bro."

But now for them.

It was still amazing that he could remember Bernie and Jules. Even for only a week, he remembered what they were like. That day at the hospital, being in the Acorns' arms, everything! It was truly a blessing.

* * *

 **SUNDAY, JUNE 30TH, 1991**

David was starting to get impatient. Eli was getting his fill from Bernie. Jules was holding the blue bundle of joy and trying to calm him down. Nothing was working, not even his lullabies. He wanted his food, and he couldn't wait much longer.

"Don't sweat it, Dave," his father said. "Mommy will be with you soon."

"Whaaaaaaaaa!"

"Shhhhh, I know, you're hungry. Ugh… I don't know what's worse: how you and Eli cry for food and diapers at the same time or the impatience you inherited from Ber—." His wife coughed. Jules turned around to see his wife nursing the young Eli with an unimpressed look directed at the father. "I mean from your Daddy! Hehe…." Bernie smiled, nodded, and continued to breastfeed the infant.

"I'll be with you soon, David!" Bernie softly said. She was a tired wreck from all the packing they had done. Hopefully in a few hours they would be on their way out of the city. But what didn't help was that a storm was in the late-night forecast. It made her and Jules uneasy.

"Shhhhh… don't worry," Jules comforted.

"Jules? I'm ready."

Her husband nodded and traded children. Jules got Eli and went to put him to bed. Bernie stayed in her chair with the very hungry David, but once he started sucking, his cries ended soon after. Kissing her oldest son, she held him tight against her. He moaned that he was getting slightly crushed, but he soon ignored it and focused on the milk.

She shed a tear. Not because this was such a beautiful and natural site, but rather because she didn't know if they were going to make it. With Jules out of the room for the time, she was able to break down. Holding her son tightly, she kissed the nursing child again.

"We'll keep you safe, David. I won't let anyone hurt you."

* * *

 **FRIDAY, JULY 1ST, 2016**

Remembering that night brought a steady line of tears from his face.

He set down the final two bouquets and kneeled at their tombstone. He touched the soft grass that felt just like his mother's fur: soft to the touch. He shook his head and wiped away the tears before speaking.

"There are so many things I want to say to you… but I know you can't comfort me in return. I feel guilty about you. You shouldn't have died for me. I was just a defenseless kid who didn't know any better. But you… both of you still tried your hardest to keep me and Green safe. I don't get how you could love someone so much when we kept filling our diapers and crying for food. But that's the kind of love you gave us, and I am thankful for it.

"Everyone I've talked to says that you were the best kind of people. You stood up for what was right. You fought valiantly for the truth. You were honest and kind. You were professional and graceful. You were friends to everyone you knew. I don't know if I'm going to be able to top what you two did. You were so loved in this town. You treated everyone fairly. And that's what I want to aspire to be. I want to be just like you, but I know I'll never get close to what you did." He wiped away another tear. "But I'm sure going to try.

"I wanted to stop by because I thought you'd like the roses. I have a friend who's named after them, and I heard they are proper to leave for people who've passed on. I hope you two and Green like them.

"But… the main reason I stopped by is because I wanted to tell you a few things, the first being that you guys can rest in peace now. I did it, mom and dad. I avenged you. Your deaths aren't in vain. I didn't do it all by myself, though. Like you at work, I had a team that was committed to doing the right thing. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here. I'm sure you would've done the same thing.

"The second reason I'm here is because… I love you. Our time was short, but I remember how much you cared for Green and me. You risked your lives for us, and I will always remember and respect the sacrifices you made for us. Like I said, I don't know if I'll ever top what you guys did. And… I'm sorry that I didn't get the chance to know you. I mean _really_ know you. Everyone stills speaks highly of you. I want to be like that. I want you two to be my inspiration moving forward. And I want to do everything and be everything that you were. That's not asking too much, is it?"

He sighed and let out another tear.

"I'll stop by every once in a while to see you and talk to you. You're gone, but it doesn't change the fact that you're my parents. I'll always love you, and I'm thankful and honored to be your son." He kissed his father's section of the stone." I love you, dad." He then kissed his mother's part. "I love you, mom. If there's an afterlife, I'm sure we'll meet up there someday. All of us. You, Green, and me. I know Green's probably having a blast with you right now, and I can't wait to see you on the other side. But until then, goodbye… and know that' I'll always remember what you did for me."

He rested his hand on the rock one last time before standing up and wiping away another tear. He regained his composure and looked down at the grave one last time before looking around to his right.

"I left your parents a gift," he said. "I hope they like it."

She smiled. "I saw… and roses were my mom's favorite." He turned around to face a familiar smile. Green eyes like her dad, but she looked like her mother everywhere else. She came up and hugged him tightly, to which he returned the favor again. He seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much. Same for Amy. She got her wish after all: she felt his strong arms around her frame again.

"How'd you find me?"

"I stopped back home. Tails and CREAM were starting to work on something, and they told me you were out here." She let go of him and looked down at the grave. "Your mom and dad would be proud of you. Just like I am."

"I said the same thing about you to your parents. Oh, and congrats on the new job."

She chuckled. "Small world." He began to walk out of the place, and she followed him by his side. "And thank you. So… what's next for you?" she asked with hope that he'd stay. "You aren't leaving, are you?"

He nodded. "Nah. This place is interesting. Lots of people. Loads of weird situations. I mean crime lords, ladies getting held up—."

"Oh, shut it," she said as she shoved him.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. But even then, I made a promise to save this city. And I'd like to be someone like my parents."

"I think you'll be just fine."

"I don't know. My folks set the bar high."

"I have faith. Need a place to stay?"

"Considering my stuff is all at your place, it's not exactly up for debate."

"Oh. So, you're free-loading?"

"For the moment. I'll need a job, though."

She thought about what he could do. Then it hit her. "Well, 'Shadow,' since I'm becoming a field reporter, I could use an assistant."

"Hmmm, I think I could do that. Seems simple enough."

"I'm glad you agree. Max and Alicia should be able to make room for you."

"As long as you help me out."

"With what?"

"Eggman wasn't the only crime boss. There's still a lot of people whose lives have been ruined by the other ones. And with Tails, CREAM, you, and Rouge helping out, I think we can make a difference."

"Rouge?"

"Yeah, she sent in her résumé to the mayor this morning. I think she's a shoe-in."

"Huh. She didn't tell me that."

"Well, I just did," Sonic said as they reached her Camaro. "So, which lord should we go after next?"

"They're probably scrambling for more power now. The others are the Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, Lyric the Ancient, and the Fox Family."

"The biggest one being…?"

"It's a tie between Naugus and Mogul. They actually used to be partners before their organization had a nasty civil war."

"Then you pick."

"Hmm… how about—?"

WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO!

The loud sound of a police siren blasted around the block. Sonic and Amy turned around to see an officer and his partner chasing a large van. Weapons drawn, Sonic immediately realized the danger and sped around the car to shield Amy. Luckily, they had only drawn their weapons. It wasn't until they got past them that they opened fire.

Sonic didn't like that one bit. His fist tightened at the sight of them.

"We'll talk about Mogul and Naugus later," Amy said as Sonic turned back to her. "And I'm fine by the way."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Now go do your job."

He smiled. "Only because the lady said so." He let her go and his heads-up display immediately activated. With it, he was able to track the shooters' vehicle, even through Knothole's buildings. "T, we got us a situation!"

"I'm here if you need anything. Can you catch them?"

"'Can I catch them?'" Sonic mocked. "Watch this!"

He performed a sonic boom and caught up to the car. The officers were stunned to see that a hedgehog of all things had ran up to their target. With one motion, Sonic grappled up to a light post and jumped off. With the grace of a gymnast, he landed squarely on the hood of the van. The criminals all stopped and looked up in horror at _him_.

"Joyride's over, fellas!"

* * *

 **WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY SconnieSA**

 **PRODUCED BY FanFiction-dot-net and DeviantArt**

 **BASED ON THE CHARACTERS FROM THE Sonic the Hedgehog videogame franchise by SEGA and Sonic Team as well as the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series by Archie Comics**

 **ALL CHARACTERS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THESE TWO COMPANIES**

 **.**

 **STARRING**

 **ROGER CRAIG SMITH as Sonic the Hedgehog**

 **MIKE POLLOCK as Dr. Ivo Robotnik**

 **CINDY ROBINSON as Amy Rose the Hedgehog**

 **JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE as Miles "Tails" Prower**

 **TARA STRONG as CREAM the Rabbit**

 **KAREN STRASSMAN as Rouge the Bat**

 **JENNIFER HALE as Sally Acorn**

 **ROBERT REDFORD as Maximillian Acorn**

 **EMILY ROSE as Alicia Acorn**

 **JASON GRIFFITH as Green the Hedgehog and Shadow the Hedgehog**

 **SUSAN EISENBERG as Lien-Da the Echidna**

 **PAULEY PERRETTE as Thunderbolt the Chinchilla**

 **DEMI LOVATO as Lupe the Wolf**

 **TROY BAKER as Ken "Monkey" Khan**

 **KEITH DAVID as Jun Kun the Iron King**

 **BILL FAGERBAKKE as Bark the Polar Bear**

 **ROBIN LORD TAYLOR as Bean the Dynamite**

 **with COBIE SMULDERS as Bernadette the Hedgehog**

 **and CHRIS PRATT as Jules the Hedgehog**

 **.**

 **SCONNIESA PRESENTS**

 **A DEVIANTART AND FANFICTION-DOT-NET PRODUCTION**

 **.**

 **THE SONIC PROJECT**

* * *

BLIP. BLIP. BLIP. BLIP.

His origin was a complete mystery. Not just to the doctors and nurses tending him, but to the people that found him in the first place. The nurse especially was curious as she and the doctor had never seen a case like him before. He had a similar physical structure to any animal Mobian, but his metabolism was unnaturally different. Too bad he wasn't going to be answering any questions soon. They needed to put him into a drug-induced coma because all the cuts and infections he had. He needed to take every kind of drug imaginable to kill the germs and bacteria.

But that was just the beginning of it. When they found him, there was something wrong with his eyes. His pupils weren't the same size, and that only spelled trouble.

"Bianca, I know you care for the patient, but you need to get back to work." The nurse looked back at the equally concerned doctor.

"I just don't understand this patient," she defended.

"I don't get it either, but you can't just stand around and gawk. It's really not healthy."

"You're right," she sighed.

"If you want to help our John Doe, then give him his lunch. He's due for it."

"Okay, doctor."

"And when you're done, I need you in Surgery. A man is scheduled for Tommy John surgery today."

"Understood," she said as she made her way to the cafeteria. When she got there, she got the prescribed food, all pureed beforehand, and returned to the room. Setting the food down on a nearby table, she took another look at the wounded man.

The burn marks hadn't healed yet. His skin-and-bones frame was at least starting to fill out again. And after all this, the people that found him on the coast of the Central Sea said he was on some piece of metal debris from Chaos-knows-where. The most disgusting injury of his, however, was the twin cuts across his chest. When found, the blood around them had dried up, but they easily got infected.

"What happened to you?" she asked as she softly placed her hand on the green hedgehog's cheek.

* * *

 **Sonic the Hedgehog**

 **will return in**

 **KNOW YOUR ENEMY**

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

It only reads "Fanfiction-dot-net" because you cannot have website links in the Doc Manager app. Ironic that you can't say this website's name on this website. Don't believe me? Try it!

Well, everyone... we've done it. Holy shit, we've done it. We have come to the end of what has been a wild and crazy ride.

First off, I just want to say " ** _THANK YOU!_** " for reading and keeping up with this story. I cannot put into words how thankful I am that other Sonic fans like you were willing to take the time to read what I've put out. That goes double if you were willing to review my work and give me honest feedback on how the story was progressing and what emotions came out when you read it. Whenever I see that a new review come in, I can't wait to read it. Does it feed my ego? I'd be lying if I said it didn't. But that does not change the fact that I'm thankful to hear that you guys and gals are enjoying the story or even chiming in on what I'm saying in my Author's Notes. Honestly, I'm lucky to have you guys read my content and give me honest feedback. Thank you for making this my most-reviewed story yet. I really, truly mean it.

Going off on that, I'd like to thank the likes of **Captain** **, Ella Belle The Writer** (pretty sure she also reviewed this story on my deviantArt account) **, FireSonic642, Guest, IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE,** **NavelineJemTheHedgehog123, NeckBreak, Shadowcast214, somas35, SpeedsMyGame, & True Hyper Sonic **for reviewing the story as I updated it (NOTE: the people listed above were the ones who've reviewed the story as of 10/23/2017 1:57 AM CST). I'm glad I was keeping you guys engaged with my writing. But my biggest "thank you" goes out to **MissMJS**. It's for a few reasons. Sure, she reviewed the story the most frequently, but she also advertised my story to her readers in her story "Only You Can." So we're clear, I didn't bribe her or coerce her to do it, she did it out of the goodness of her heart, and I cannot thank her enough for it. MissMJS, I know you're probably reading this and blushing like hell, but I cannot thank you enough for being one of the biggest supporters of this story. My hat is off to you! And go check out her material if you haven't already. She's a fantastic writer!

Now for some stats. If you're not big into numbers, then feel free to skip the paragraph. Biggest chapter: #1 with **10,218 words** (before the Author's Note). The second-biggest was #16 at **8,905**. Shortest chapter: #12 with **2,980 words**. The second-shortest was #19 a **2,990**. Compared to my other really big fan-fiction, Affairs of State, AoS had 147,181 words in 24 chapters, leading to a word-count-per-chapter average of 6,132.54. The Sonic Project, without the Author's Notes, had a grand total of 23 chapters and **141,049 words**. The average chapter length was **6,132.52 words** , just about a .02 average-words-per-chapter less than AoS. Really spooky (or coincidental) that the average words per chapter between those two stories is so damn similar. The size of the entire story on my computer is **441 KB**. The total length of the story, using 11-point Cambria font with single-spacing (sans paragraphs breaks) and 1-inch margins on every page, was **339 pages** (!). More specifically, 338.5, but who's counting? And lastly, the story took me a year-and-a-half to write. That was too long of a time to write a story since Affairs of State took a much shorter 5 months to write (and boy, does it show). So don't pay attention to the word count on fanfiction-dot-net. That isn't accurate. The actually word count for The Sonic Project is 141,049, and that does not include the Author's Notes.

So... what's next? Well, you already know one if you read the end of the story. I said this months ago when I began uploading the story that this is a planned series of 4 stories. Four (and maybe even five)! The next installment of The Sonic Project is already in development, and I've written a few chapters already. You can guess what'll come next time around when Sonic returns. But it's not just a Sonic Project sequel that I have planned. I've also been working on a Sonic fan-fic adaption of a Humphrey Bogart movie. Bogart (God rest his soul) is best known for movies like _The Maltese Falcon, Dark Passage, To Have and Have Not,_ and most famously _Casablanca._ Which of his movies I'm adapting is a trade secret, but I'll give you a hint... it's not any of the ones I listed. And it won't be SonAmy-focused like a lot of my other stories are. I'm going for more of a Shadaria angle with this one (something that **IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE** might find intriguing) with some SonAmy thrown in... sort of. Will that one get finished? Honestly, I haven't been able to write about that one as much as the Sonic Project sequel. And of course, I do plan on writing more SonAmy one-shots. Don't you SonAmy shippers panic, I plan on writing more. In fact, one's been on the back-burner for a few weeks now that I've put off because of the other stories. I'll try and hammer that one out as soon as possible.

Now should you feel obligated to review this story, please do so. I don't want a review of what's happened in the last chapter, but rather the story as a whole. I'll be requesting a critique of the story on the deviantArt version of this story as well. Again, the whole story, not just the last few chapters. I want to know what you truly felt when you read the story. I want your honest opinion and I would like you to tell me if I need improvement in some areas. Even if it's something like bad grammar, please critique it and be honest with me. If you do so, I only request that you be as professional as possible when reviewing. Y'know... constructive criticism and whatnot. I don't want to see, "UR A FUCKIN PIECE OF SHIT WHO DESERVES TO DIE THIS STORY IS SHIT AND UR MOTHER SUCKS MY DICK ALL NIGHT YOU FAGGOT FUCKING DIE HOMO-BITCH" or anything like that. There's criticism, and there's taking it too far. Let's be adults about this and remember that I'm a human being like you. I have feelings too.

Alright, this Author's Note has gone on for long enough. Again, I cannot thank you enough for reading and reviewing my story. If you haven't already, check out my other content. If you're a SonAmy shipper as well, then I think you'll like my other one-shots and stories (or at least I hope you do). As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.

 **Thank you for reading The Sonic Project!**


End file.
